Interesting USAAF night fighters project at MAAM

[brickhistory]

A big 'thank you' to the Australians and New Zealanders who served.


For what it's worth, there is an ANZAC corridor in the Pentagon with many displays and bits of history from WWI to Vietnam.

[HealzDevo]

I didn't know that. I am glad that our heritage is honoured by the Americans. My Grandfather, Da served in the American Small Ships Division during WW2 and before that he was a Patrol Officer for the Australian Government in Papua New Guinea. I also think he might have been a Patrol Officer for a little while after the war as well... Sadly this is a group that you don't hear too much about, even though they were vital in supplying the Allies with troops, food, arms and other things as well as evacuating wounded up until about 1943.

[Wildcat]

Originally Posted by brickhistory

Who's the author of 'Touched by War?' Can't make it out and would like to get a copy.


Have you read 'Coomalie(sp?) Charlie's Commandos?' Or 'Fighter Nights?' Both excellent RAAF Beau books.

Brick, "Touched By War" is written by Lisa Mariah, published by Australian Military History Publications, ISBN: 1 876439 68 8. I haven't read it yet, but it's the memoirs of F/Lt Raynor Barber who flew with 30sqn RAAF in New Guinea and Morotai.

I haven't read the two books mentioned simply because they seem to be impossible to get hold of! I once saw Coomalie Charlies Commandoes go for over $100 on e-bay!! "Fighter Nights" is anyother book I've been trying to hunt down. Incidently I'm reading "Chasing Shadows" which is a biography of Aussie Night Fighter ace Bob Cowper. Bob scored two kills flying Beaufighters out of Malta before being transferred to 456sqn in England where he added 4 more e/a and a V-1 to his tally (flying Mossies). See my other thread http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/avi...-met-7697.html (Night Fighter ace I met)
One book I can recommend is "Whispering Death" by Neville Parnell which is about the RAAF Beaufighter sqaudrons in the Pacific. Excellent book, if again you can get your hands on it.

[brickhistory]

Had my official book launching party last night. One of the guests was an R/O from the 414th NFS. Still spry, still articulate, put away a couple of beers, he had the first US Beau victory (he and his pilot).


Quite a guy.

[HealzDevo]

Unrelated I know but do US and Britain have anything sort of similar to the Australian Anzac Day?

[brickhistory]

Not sure if you are asking if the US celebrates ANZAC Day or a day in rememberance of US veterans?

If the former, no, nothing official.

If the latter, we have Memorial Day at the end of May. Although celebrated with parades, ceremonies in some places, it is fading from the nation's memory, in my opinion into just a day off.

The Old Guard, US Army ceremonial unit, places small US flags on each grave at Arlington National Cemetary on Memorial Day. It is a sobering sight to see.
Veterans groups and Boy Scouts do the same at many other national cemetaries around the country.

I do not know what happens at the US cemetaries located overseas from the US.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Veterans Day is celebrated on Nov. 11.

[brickhistory]

DerG,

Yep, I stopped in the calendar at May; oops!

[HealzDevo]

Okay that is what I was meaning. I was meaning a day designated to commerate US veterans. I know Anzac Day is that day in Australia but I was just wondering about other places...

[amrit]

In Britain, none of the rememberance days are public holidays.

The oldest, and the one that everyone knows about is Remembrance Sunday (the Sunday closest to Nov 11). There are local ceremonies at most of the local memorials with the largest one at the Cenotaph in London (the laying of the wreaths and the march past is always televised).

We also have Battle of Britain Day (September 15), VE Day (May 7) and VJ Day (Aug 15) - again not public holidays, and virtually nobody knows about them.

DDay used to get quite a lot of attention because a lot of veterans used to return to the beaches, and Pegasus bridge - but I believe that the last "official" celebrations are coming to an end because most of the veterans have passed on or are too old to travel.

Remembrance Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[amrit]

Just received notification from Amazon that BH's book is in the post, woohoo. And this morning I received "Gentlemen in Blue: 600 Squadron" by Hans Onderwater. So it looks like I'm going to have a Beau-fest over the next couple of weeks.

[HealzDevo]

Sad that it seems that Australia has more respect for the dead of combat than Britain and the US. Sad state of affairs that the IWM and other museums aren't doing their bit to lobby for a better deal.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Originally Posted by HealzDevo

Sad that it seems that Australia has more respect for the dead of combat than Britain and the US. Sad state of affairs that the IWM and other museums aren't doing their bit to lobby for a better deal.

What the **** are you talking about! Healz you make a lot of posts that show that you have no education at all on certain matters! Please do some reading and learn about things before you go posting a million posts a day just to build up your post count!

If you read the posts you would have seen that the US celebrates Memorial Day. A bit of reading for you to do. You could have done so yourself...

[i]Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-2. It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country.

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 pm Washington time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers place a U.S. Flag upon each grave site located in a National Cemetery.[i]

Next we also celebrate Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring war veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

The day has since evolved to honor living veterans who have served in the military during wartime or peacetime, partially to complement Memorial Day, which primarily honors the dead. A person's veteran status is sometimes disputed depending on their retirement or discharge from the armed forces. However, the term applies to any that have honorably served their country or that have served in a war zone as directed by their superior officers or as directed by lawful orders given by their country.

Also we have some of the most beautiful monuments dedicated to our war dead.

Vietnam Memorial



You see all those names below. Thats the names and dates that every known soldier who died in Vietnam on that wall. Walk up to that wall and look at those names and tell us we dont care about our fallen soldiers.







WW2 Memorial











Do you see these Stars Healz? There is one for every US soldier killed in WW2.

WW2 Memorial Wall image, picture by Godssnwbrdr - Photobucket

Arlington National Cemetary







Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Do you know how long that tomb is guarded? 24 hours a day 7 days a week, all holidays rain or shine!









Healz the remembrance of our fallen soldiers is a very sore subject for me. Maybe it is because I served in our armed forces and I have had friends who have fallen serving our country.

So please do me a favor, before making a stupid comment like that, learn your facts, educate yourself. It makes you look less stupid.

[bomber]

I guess then it's just the UK that doesn't honour it's war dead...

I mean we all buy poppies and wear them for the week before November 11th, well a large portion of us do..

Ok it's only a couple of quid, a pound each for all of us in my family, but I bet if you add it up it's no small figure...

Taking a day off work.. shouldn't be the bench mark for respecting the dead, I always have a chat to the guys at my local memorial, as I walk through the park and up into Heanor, I tell them how I'm getting on and such... they may be dead but it don't mean they should be ignored for 364 days of the year.

I guess we're just all different and do it differently..

Simon

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It is not just a day off from work. There are parades, ceremonies, and memorials on these days. It is a day to remember the fallen and the veterans.