World War II

Note: Just a quick word of thanks to the World War II Talk readers. We made the 451 Press “Top 20 Growth for the Month of August” list! Many thanks to all of you for visiting and reading. - Rana

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On this day in 1944, U.S. Marines landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the islands of the nation of Palau in the Western Pacific. They were there to capture an airstrip, and like most of the fighting in the South Pacific, the battle, which lasted into November, was bloody. By the end of the engagement 2,336 Americans were killed and 8,450 wounded with 10,695 Japanese soldier killed and only 202 captured.

- Wikipedia entry on the Battle of Peleliu
- Official website of the Republic of Palau
- Results of a flickr search for “Peleliu”
- Official website of the USS Peleliu
- A Tribute to Michael A. Lazaro and All Other Peleliu Veterans

The Montpelier Argus taught me some World War II history on Monday with this article about the 10th Mountain Division, a unit about which I’d never heard.

The division was activated in July 1953 and was the result of collaborative efforts among the War Department, the American Alpine Club, and the National Ski Patrol Committee of the National Ski Association. The soldiers fought initially in Italy, arriving in December 1944, where they cleared mountain passes and seized Nazi held peaks. After the war they served as security forces and assisted with the occupation.

As a highly specialized unit involved in climbing, skiing, and parachute landings, the 10th Mountain Division was a forerunner of the elite special forces that are now a critical part of the U.S. military.

The article provides more detail on the unit, which has been memorialized in the documentary “The Last Ridge.” Although deactivated after WWII, the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) was reactivated in 1985 and today its members are serving in Afghanistan.

WWII, 10th Mountain Division, special forces

Just a quick and somewhat overdue post to round out the week (in the last few hours of same.) The Chicago Tribune carried a wonderful piece today entitled, “War Brides Recall Their Bittersweet Journeys.”

The story is about a gathering of more than a hundred foreign spouses of World War II soldiers in Chicago, all members of the World War II War Brides Association. I knew two war brides in my growing up years, both French women.

One was a silly little thing with a thick accent who managed to be rather adorable in a scatter-brained way. The other was the essence of elegance with lilting cultured tones to her speech. I’m sure neither ever expected to live out her life in a small West Texas ranching community.

One held herself rather apart, the other immersed herself in the life of the town. Just recently I saw a photograph of C. and her husband sitting in lawn chairs watching the annual rodeo parade. Although I’m sure she must be nearing 80, she looked as cultured and graceful as I remember her.

Many women like them have shared their stories on the homepage of the War Brides Association. Be forewarned. They make for compelling reading and you can’t stop at one. (The site is actively seeking additional personal accounts to record this very special legacy of World War II.)

WWII, World War II War Brides Association

On September 7, 1941 German forces were preparing to begin what would become one of the most deadly battles in the history of the world, the Siege of Leningrad. Before the battle ended on January 27, 1944, more than a million of the city’s civilians starved to death.

- Wikipedia article on the Siege of Leningrad.
- Official website of the City of St. Petersburg
- Results of a Flickr search for “Leningrad.”
- YouTube: “Leningrad: The Siege Begins.” (A little discrepancy here on the date, but lots of good Russia related WWII footage in the “related” links.)
- The Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad

WWII, German, siege, Leningrad, St. Petersburg

I took Labor Day off from blogging, but World War II followed me. during supper we were watching Antiques Roadshow and just left PBS on since History Detectives was next. And what was one of the segments about? Hitler’s home movies. (Click here for the description on the show’s website.)

The material being investigated comprised cannisters of film brought home from Germany by a soldier who served during the occupation. The interesting thing is that neither he nor his family had ever opened the cans or tried to see the movies. One of the movies was footage of Hitler and his chief henchmen (Goebbels, Goering, Himmler, et al) at the annual Richard Wagner festival in Bayreuth.

With reasonable accuracy, the conclusion was that the previously unseen footage was shot by Hitler’s chef Willy Kannenberg. I haven’t been able to find out much more about the man, but as a member of Hitler’s inner circle he had relatively free access to the Fuhrer and was able to shoot the candid moments unfettered. Fortunately the film has now been digitized as the original, like most films of that period, is in serious danger of simply disintegrating.

The story does make me wonder how many more hidden gems of World War II history are languishing forgotten in attics and basements around the country. In this case, the man who recovered the cannisters was still alive to be interviewed, but in all too many instances the item survives the person who can tell the tale. I know I beat this drum, but I’m beating it again. If you know an aging WWII vet, get the stories now before they become mysteries even the History Detectives can’t solve.

WWII, Hitler, Wagner, Bayreuth, Kannenberg

Sorry to be a day late with this week’s five but it pushed us over to a truly seminal event. Today is the 68th anniversary of the Nazi “blitzkreig” invasion of Poland that ignited World War II in Europe.

- Wikipedia article on the 1939 Invasion of Poland.
- British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s speech to the House of Commons on September 1, 1939.
- Article “German Invasion of Poland: Jewish Refugees, 1939” from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
- Flickr search results for “Poland 1939.”
- German battle footage from the Poland invasion on YouTube. (Length - 6:19.)

Note: Based on the comments on the YouTube page to which I have linked this post, it would appear that some viewers find politically questionable and anti-Polish content in the material. I link to this material for its value as battle footage ONLY. I do not speak fluent German so I do not know what the narration references nor do I support any political ideas endorsed by this YouTube poster. My interest is only in the visual.)

Sixty-three years ago today Free French Forces (led by Gen. Charles De Gaulle) and members of the French Resistance liberated Paris from the occupying German forces. France was under Nazi control (and that of the collaborationist Vichy government led by Marshal Henri Philippe Petain) from May 1940 to December 1944.

Today’s Friday Five links are:

- Extensive Wikipedia article on the Liberation of Paris.
- New York Times Art Review: Occupied Paris and the Politics of Picasso
- History of the French Resistance
- France and the Final Solution
- Official Website of the City of Paris

WWII, Paris, French Resistance, Free French, Vichy France, Charles de Gaulle, Philippe Petain

In 1942 the USS Grunion a World War II Gato-class submarine with a crew of 70 disappeared near the Aleutian Islands off Alaska.

She left Hawaii on June 30 touching base at Midway before heading to the Aleutians for patrol duty. A Japanese destroyer attacked the Grunion off Kiska Island and the Grunion returned fire. Throughout the month of July she sank two patrol boats. The night of July 30, after sending a report of heavy anti-submarine activity, the Grunion fell silent and was never heard from again.

Air searches found nothing. The Grunion’s name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in November 1942 and she received a single battle star for her wartime service. That wasn’t good enough, however, for the three sons of the Lt. Cmdr. Mannert L. Abele, the skipper of the Grunion. After years of searching, Bruce, John, and Brad Abele found their Dad on August 22, 2007.

The Grunion lies in approximately 1,000 feet of water, imploded by the pressure at that depth. Photos were taken by a remote vehicle, but no signs of human remains were detected. Still, the Abeles now know where their father lies and what happened to his vessel. One more mystery of World War II laid to rest.

(Site Note: Since I was unable to post yesterday, today’s WWII Friday Five will appear later in the day.)

USS Grunion, Aleutians, submarine, Abele

The Hollywoodization of World War II has left many Americans with what I used to tell my students was the “John Wayne” version of the war. Handsome American G.I.s fight [insert German or Japanese racial epithet of your choice] and are welcomed ecstatically by liberated civilians. Alas, the story didn’t really play out that way as Giles MacDonogh apparently demonstrates in After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation. (Available on Amazon.)

Although I’ve not yet read the book, the review Bruce Ramsey wrote for The Seattle Times made me place the title on my “to read” list. As Ramsey writes, “. . . war is brutal, and brotherhood did not come overnight. Nor were all occupiers the same.”

The book covers the occupation of the Red Army in eastern Germany as well as the questionable behavior of the French in Stuttgart. Americans, restrained by Eisenhower’s strict policies, did a better job but were still conditioned by wartime propaganda to award collective guilt to all Germans regardless of their station in life. Ramsey’s conclusion reads, “This is a sometimes violent and often disturbing history that prods the reader to think about the choices of the conquerors.”

What about you? Any WWII books you’ve read lately we need to know about or old favorites you consider “standards” on the subject?

WWII, books, reviews, occupation, Germany, Giles MacDonogh

On August 17, 1943 the U.S. Seventh Army under the command of General George S. “Blood and Guts” Patton arrived in Messina, Italy several hours ahead of the British 8th under Field Marshal Bernard L. “Monty” Montgomery (whom Patton detested.) This marked the completion of the Allied conquest of Sicily, a campaign in which my father flew bombing missions.

Today’s five links include:

- The Wikipedia entries for the Seventh Army and Gen. Patton.

- The entry from the same source on Bernard Law Montgomery.

- The Flickr search results page for pictures taken in Messina.

- The Army’s history page on the Sicily campaign.

- And of course, the Internet Movie Database entry for the 1970 film “Patton” with George C. Scott. (Scroll down and have a look at the Fun Stuff section with trivia, goofs, and quotes.)

A thoughtful piece by David Smollar appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune on August 7. In it the author described reading the 300-plus letters his father wrote home while stationed in the Philippines, especially those penned after the dropping of the Hiroshima bomb on Aug. 6, 1945.

Through his Dad’s letters Smollar was given an opportunity to see war as a weary soldier saw it. His father was an Army field hospital doctor who described distinguishing the dead men from those who were wounded by the undisturbed flies on yellow skin and mangled extremities.

Of the bomb itself, Smollar’s father wrote, “There is still something frightening about the new bomb, a weapon that truthfully is not pleasant to contemplate and that bodes danger for our future if human beings don’t quit acting like apes. The world had better come to its senses after this one.”

The doctor describes being ordered to establish a whore house for the men, censoring the letter of other soldiers, and of receiving a dozen fresh eggs from a grateful Filipino woman — and he writes of his heart’s desire. “I am emotionally limp, so long have I hoped for the end to this wasteful existence called war. I will think of nothing but our soon-to-be reunion.”

This one is a must read to catch a glimpse of World War II from a soldier’s eyes. Would that we all had such a treasure trove of insight into your parents’ youth.

WWII, David Smollar, Philippines, letters

In a variation on the popular Friday Five in which many bloggers participate, in the future I’ll feature a WWII event on Fridays and provide five related links for your browsing pleasure. Today we begin with the 63rd anniversary of the defeat of the Japanese forces on the island of Guam on August 10, 1944.

The island, the largest of the Marianas, was captured on December 11, 1941 in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack. It was used as a staging base for the next wave of Japanese operations against the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, and Taiwan. In addition to boasting a harbor deep enough to accommodate large ships, Guam had two airfields.

Casualty figures for the 1944 battle show 3,000 Americans killed and 7,122 wounded. More than 18,000 Japanese soldiers died with 485 becoming prisoners of war.

In honor of the anniversary, five Guam-related links for our first “Friday Five” entry.

- Sioux Canteen Found on Guam
- A Marine Describes the Battle of Guam
- Marine Dogs of World War II
- 76th SEABEES of World War II - An Untold Story
- The Official Island of Guam Website

WWII, Guam, 1944

On the night of May 31, six Japanese submariners staged a bold raid on Sydney Harbour in Australia. Two of the midget submarines that slipped into the harbor that night to attack allied warships were destroyed before they saw action. The third sub intended to go after the USS Chicago but wound up putting a torpedo into the HMAS Kuttabul, a converted ferry, which sank. Twenty-one of the sailors sleeping onboard were killed.

That third sub disappeared only to be rediscovered by amateur divers in 2006. On August 6, relatives of Sub-Lieutenant Katsuhisa Ban and Petty Officer Memoru Ashibe cast flowers from the deck of an Australian warship and poured sake into the water in tribute to the men and the wreckage below.

The submarine is largely intact although filled with sand. It is believed that the remains of the crew lie inside the vessel, which will be left undisturbed as a protected monument. The younger brother of Lieutenant Ban, speaking through an interpreter, said, “We were all feeling uneasy about where it was so we are very happy the Australian divers found it.”

That “little” brother is now 74-years-old. Their story, like many in recent years, is being concluded after long years of wondering. During my childhood the news would occasionally report on an isolated Japanese soldier pulled off some nameless island after years of solitary waiting for the war to be over. I was fascinated by these men who remained at their post years beyond the official end of the conflict.

I won’t lie. In our household the Germans and the Japanese were referred to in derogatory terms replete with racial slurs. I don’t blame my father. These were the people who were trying to kill him when he was just 21-years-old. I’m not sure he lived long enough to see them as anything but the enemy. But part of the act of reconciliation is to remember that 21-year-old boys were dying on both sides, some, like these two men, entombed at the bottom of the ocean. Now their relatives know where they lie, in a sense, still at their post beneath the waters in the vessel they so daringly piloted. Two more boys who have finally come home.

(Click here for the International Herald Tribune story.)

WWII, Sydney, Australia, Japanese midget submarine

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the dropping of the nuclear bomb euphemistically named “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Seventy-thousand people died and almost 70 percent of the city was turned into a wasteland. In the months that followed another 60,000 died of their injuries and from the effects of radiation.

One hundred and thirty thousand dead from a single device that ushered in the nuclear age. That’s a staggering statement and one that still causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. You see, I grew up during the Cold War. Oh, not the height of it. Not the days of “duck and cover” drills. I was still in my Mother’s womb during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

But still there was a pervading sense of “us and them,” the comments my Dad would make about how we should have gone ahead and whipped the Russians when we had the chance, and the anti-communist rhetoric that seemed a staple of political addresses well into the Reagan administration. When the Berlin wall came down I remember thinking that in a way it really signalled the end of World War II, the easing of a degree of global tension that had overshadowed the world since that morning in Hiroshima.

As a young person I really did worry that the world would end in a nuclear conflageration. Now I fear other methods of our global demise but I’m also old enough to know that if it is destined to end, there’s not much I can do about it.

Paul Tibbets, the man who was at the stick of the Enola Gay sixty-two years ago once said, “I knew when I got the assignment it was going to be an emotional thing. We had feelings, but we had to put them in the background. We knew it was going to kill people right and left. But my one driving interest was to do the best job I could so that we could end the killing as quickly as possible.”

Today, pause for a moment to remember the people of Hiroshima, the men who dropped the bomb that day, and all of us who have been effected by the shadow of those events these many years. Let’s hope that of all the legacies of World War II the use of nuclear weapons as a means to “resolve” conflicts is not one that will endure.

WWII, Hiroshima, Enola Gay, Paul Tibbets, Cold War

According to the Wikipedia article on the subject, Italian and German pilots were the first to put nose art on their planes starting as early as 1913. The practice reached its zenith during World War II and then went into decline until Operation Desert Storm when the sassy, irreverent images were revived. They’re still going strong today with our fighting troops around the world.

Although FightingColors.com is in the business of selling nose art reproductions, you can still see some nice examples on their pages, like these from the plane my dad flew, the B-25 Mitchell.

You’ll find lots of interesting links to WWII era propaganda here. And there’s great photos from multiple conflicts at Nose-Art.net.

Fair word of warning. Most of these images are for grown-ups. If you’re trying to explain the war and its culture to kids in the house, preview the images before you click over.

noseart, nose art, military planes, propaganda