WW2 Choice of Theater Operations?

[280PLUS]

They were ordinary men placed in extraordinary circumstances. That said it is possible to believe that ANY of us here would be able to "go back and fill their shoes". Some of us would make it and some would not. I, for one, would like to believe that I WOULD have the fortitude it took to survive. Every one of us would suffer the same psychological damage they did, I know my uncle suffered the rest of his life in one way or another. I know or have known several WW2 vets that still carry the emotional scars with them. Ask their wives about it. So would I WANT to go to these theatres and join the battle, in a word no. Would I go if it were deemed necessary to protect my country? My answer is yes.

 

[OH25shooter]

My father-in-law battled German mountian troops and a SS Panzer division in the Ardennes during the coldest recorded winter of 1944-45. He said, before the bomb was dropped in Japan, his division (and many others) were preparing to invade the homeland of Japan. The ETO soldiers wanted nothing to do with fighting the Japanese soldier. Much different tactics and mindsets compared to the German army. So, my vote is the warm/cold ETO. Not the steamy, humid, can't see crap through the jungles, disease infested Pacific.

 

[JohnBT]

"...infested Pacific."

And don't forget the U.S. cooks trading a pound of good U.S. beef for 3 pounds of New Zealand or Aussie mutton. My father still won't eat lamb or even sit near anyone eating it in a restaurant.

John

 

[Hutch]

Not the Marines in the PTO. My father-in-law has only in the last few years (his last few years, I'm afraid) spoken of some of his experiences on Okinawa. FWIW, I did ask him the "Carbine or Garand?" question, and he seemed surprised that anyone would ask. He emphatically stated Garand. A great memoir is "With Old Breed on Peleliu and Okinawa" by Eugene Sledge. About the only time I've been made nauseous by something I read was a description of a small unit having to "dig-in" in an area that had been a hasty graveyard a week or two previously. The Greatest Generation, indeed.

Can anyone speculate how they (almost) all fell for the Camelot/Great Society hoax? Most of what passes for liberalism today came from them.

 

[James T Thomas]

the plight of the grunt

Here goes a reply. I kept reading, waiting to see a post from some of the vets I know who are here from time to time, but so far it's been quiet.

Having served in the hot, steamy jungles of South Vietnam, I would prefer
-the hot, steamy jungles of S.V.N. to frozen europe, or say, frozen Korea for that matter.

Having hunted deer in my home state of PA; the frozen woods; give me the jungle. Which I hated. Freezing cold makes operating any kind of machinery, firearms or what ever, difficult. I think more so than swamp humidity, dirt, etc.

I had done my advanced infantry training in Ft.Lewis during the winter and often with only long sleeve shirts to wear! More difficult, I believe.

I've slept where the mosquitoes were almost as bad as those old Humphrey Bogart encountered in the movie, African Queen, but I have also attempted to sleep in the bone cold ice and snow, on the ground, and for those conditions -surprise. I would take the cold. I thought I would loose my mind a few times with the mosquitoes, even though I was slick with DEET, and my poncho liner only made the blood suckers hunt for the areas where my arm, legs and head were under!

My unit ( the First Cavalry) had been patrolling for fourtyeight days straight without baths, change of clothing, or return to the fire base, and when we finally were informed that we would go back in for a hot Thanksgiving meal, showers, and such, we could hardly wait. Upon landing, we were all assembled, and informed that one of the national NEWS services would be filming the soldiers being given a hot, holiday meal -out in the field! Yes, we would not be given showers, and that, but would eat on the edge of the fire base while being filmed, and then go right back out again. The mood was what I would call grim. And never again would any of us view the spots on the evening NEWS in the same way. So, in this case, maybe I would select the european theater hoping for more civilized conditions.

I would opt for the M1 because of the versatility of such a fine weapon.
Long range, house clearing, assaults, jungle or frozen mountains, the M1 would "comfort" me, more than others mentioned. Yes, it's a little unwieldy for in a house, or heavy for humping, but what a weapon. I would be glad to have one -more than the M16.

So it goes, back and forth, depending on the circumstances.

I had faced the NVA troops mostly, and the oriental military mindset on training is, well, the troops are replaceable. The NVA were better marksmen than the VC guerillas -on the whole, and I'm presuming here that the Japanese soldier was similar; in that they were not on par with the GI.
So then, screaming squads of sacrifical soldiers, while horrifying, are not the threat that disciplined and accurate shooting troops such as were the Wehrmacht troops. This case -give me the Pacific theatre.

No one had mentioned, but choosing between hordes of Nipponese, and facing Tiger tank combined infantry of the Germans. Then, the Pacific again.
I had actually heard armor being started near the border one night, and it probably was "ours," but the the thought of facing it with only puny LAW rockets which is all we had at the time, made me "anxious." -Jungles again.

The mention of the various commanders was stated, and what ever one was not looking for publicity and press recognition would be my choice.

The posters who happen to be of a minority background consider what happened to the 442; brave Japanese Americans. They were "used" -wasted horrendeously for that publicity. And so were the black regiments during the Civil war. Used in some impossible assault by some grandyose general for his glory. And to no military advantage either. Just cannon fodder. You cannot choose you commanding officers either, but hope you get one who values his men more than his carreer.

All the theaters in most every war have instances of this abuse. So, where do you choose now? And what service branch?

 

[Erik Jensen]

well, realistically, I'm overweight and have a bad eye. also, the vast majority of soldiers in WWII never saw combat. so, realistically, I would end up being stationed in the states or England in some sort of support role, likely armed, if at all, with a 1911A1 or M1 Carbine.

now, assuming I drop 50lbs and my eyesight is good enough, absolutely northern Europe, armed with either a rifle, M1, .30 cal or a BAR, M1918, plus a 1911A1, if I could scrounge one.

 

[just one question]

....

I think all you guys who want a BAR are crazy. When my grandfather was telling me about his time in basic he said that every one missed with the BAR on purpose because all the vets/drill sergeants (I don’t remember which) told them that the guys with BARs were always shot first.

He also loathed his m1 carbine.

 

[BrennanKG]

What is WWII? Is that the same as the civil rights movement?

OK Jamal, now in the thread you recently started, you tossed out a caveat that you weren't a troll...but I have to tell you that even a child of 8 or 9 in the U.S. generally knows that WWII is World War II.

So where does that leave us?



B.

 

[Thylacine]

I think I will have to go against the grain a bit.
1st Ranger Battalion, Sicilian and Italian Campaigns. Commanded by Colonel Darby.

 

[Stickjockey]

What is WWII? Is that the same as the civil rights movement?

Google search assignment:

World War Two

In respect to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, especially look up these two World War Two items:

Jewish Holocaust

Stalin and Rise of Communism

 

[Tokugawa]

Yeah, I think Cosmo has it pegged. War is hell. And the reference to "with the old breed" by Sledge- will illustrate that quite well. The image of having to dig a foxhole through the rotting body of a dead man... Those guys did what they did for the same reason that loggers trapped alone in the woods by a fallen log cut off thier legs with a chain saw- there is simply no other recourse.

And realisticly, IF I had lived thru that time, I would probably choose to pilot the Enola Gay.
My father and father in law, both infantry, were training in the Phillipines to invade the Japanese homeland.

 

[jaysouth]

I would pick a Battalion of the 508th Parachute infantry Regiment/82d Airborne Division, besides the one my father was in. I was in the 508th in DomRep and my brother was in the 508th in Vietnam.

I think that it would have been a natural fit. In 20 years after the war my brother and i relived every moment of his experience in Europe.

The theater for the 508th was Europe from D-day on. Less time in combat than the average grunt in Viet Nam.

Another reason for the 508th/82d Airborne, they had no heavy maintenance-queen BARs to hump. M1 Garand is just fine thank you. No .45s to hump either after D-Day.

 

[chaim]

If I was to go back and fight in WWII (or if I had been around then) there is no doubt which side I'd want to fight.

The Japanese did not take prisoners (or if you were captured, you wished they didn't take you prisoner) so if you were unlucky enough to be captured you were out of luck. The Germans did, but since I am Jewish (and Orthodox at that) if they got me I'd be in a Concentration Camp so I'd be no better off.

I don't mind the cold and prefer it cool. I hate the heat and even more the humidity. Europe would work better for me.

Of course, the number one consideration...I'm Jewish and I'd definitely go for the opportunity to fight the Nazis.

Weapon? Garand and 1911 of course.

 

[peoria46]

If I had been granted the right to choose, I would have chosen the Zone of the Interior. Either coast. I would have selected a Parker 51 as my weapon of choice.

 

[Croyance]

The posters who happen to be of a minority background consider what happened to the 442; brave Japanese Americans. They were "used" -wasted horrendeously for that publicity. And so were the black regiments during the Civil war. Used in some impossible assault by some grandyose general for his glory. And to no military advantage either. Just cannon fodder. You cannot choose you commanding officers either, but hope you get one who values his men more than his carreer.

Nor were the black regiments in Italy always used correctly, though they died bravely for a freedom that did not include them.
But I wouldn't count on my side (Americans) being able to quickly distinguish my Chinese background from the Japanese in the heat of battle.

Most major wars are hell. It wasn't just WWII - look at accounts from the Napoleonic Wars. Fancy standing in line, neatly coifed while a cannon is raining grapeshot on your formation? Little tactical use of cover, just stand, load, and shoot. Whoever falls last wins.
Nor is the idea of standing shoulder to shoulder holding a spear while Sassian heavy calvary is thundering down on me so comforting. The arrows from the medium cavalry is a PITA too.

 

[Husker1911]

One of Dad's most cherished momentos of his days as a B17 waist gunner/toggalier was a black & white photo he snapped from his station of a P-51 Mustang. The black pilot was clearly visible. Dad loved those Tuskagee airmen, and always spoke glowingly of P-38s, too.

 

[GW]

I personally would have liked a chance to fly a B-25 strafer in the SWPO
12 fixed forward firing .50 BMG's all blazing away at once. Easily enough to sink a Japanese destroyer. Those guys were on the edge and the tactics and new weapons they developed made the ocean a very unsafe place for Japanese shipping.

 

[lionking]

thanks everyone,your family service and accounts are a tribute.

I have faith that todays generation and future generations would be as willing to give sacrifice,two examples are Pat Tillman and this Marine.And also the many others who we'll never know...and some who are members here.

if this does'nt wet your eyes I dont know what will..if I can be half the man he is Ill be doing alright.

http://www.wtv-zone.com/Mary/THISWILLMAKEYOUPROUD.HTML

 

[Husker1911]

Aye, Lionking. This proud American thanks you and those countless others who've served, and made this republic safe for grateful countrymen like myself.

 

[CajunBass]

"Hmm, I think I would want to be an essential war worker stateside."

My father was a farm worker. He was told to stay home, we'll call you when we need you.

He got word, or heard some scuttlebutt, sometime about the middle of 1945, that he would be in the first group to be called up in 1946, when it looked like an invasion of the home islands of Japan was a very real probability.

In August, 1945 of course they dropped "The Bomb" and the war ended a few weeks later. Dad always said you could count him as one of those people whos lives may have been saved by "The Bomb."

 

[jdkelly]

...the “other” theater sounds like it has to be better...

I think part of honoring their memory includes not pretending we could go back in and fill their shoes---cosmoline

I've often wondered if I could have been a B24 tail gunner, landed in France in a Glider, been a Grunt or taken the pain suffered in a burning tank that my uncles had endured (all lived).

Never for I moment did I think of it as taking their place but rather could I have done what they did? I generally don’t think I could have and I really don’t understand how they did.

As for which theater I would want to fight in would depend on which book I last read. As the “other” theater sounds like it has to be better then the one I’m reading about.


Respectfully,

jdkelly

 

[lance22]

My dad was in the South Pacific from 1943-1945. Did six months on a PT boat until it "exploded" (never heard where or why or how) and the rest of the time he was on a Fletcher Class Destroyer ( DD 501 USS Schroeder ). His GQ was on the deck so he saw plenty but never talked about it even to his dying day. Two books have been written about the Schroeder and that's the only way I found out about what they did during those three years.

Long periods of boredom and hard work, puncuated with brief, unimaginably terrifying combat. My dad's ship got stuck on a reef 200 yards out at TARAWA ... what happened after that woke them up to the realities of war.

I'd take the same duty, take my chances.

 

[The_Shootist]

Dunno...

...I'd opt for the "Silent Service" in WWII. I think it can be argued that, man for man, contributed the most to bringing the "Rising Sun" down in flames.

Plus, you'd at least have a warm, mosquito/mud free bunk to climb into every night on a full stomach

 

[LeafsFan]

Although I make my home in the U.S. now, sentimentally I think my choice would be to go back in time and serve with the Canadians.

Theatre of choice – western Europe.

Ideally I’d prefer to fight in a climate similar to the one I was already used to. The Canadian army fought through France, Belgium and The Low Counties, and the culture and terrain there is similar enough to Canada that I could deal with it both physically and psychologically. Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, I'm used to extended "cold snaps" of -30 and lower. Give me a -25F winter/moderate summer over a +110F summer/moderate winter any day!

No way would I want to serve in the Far East. My grandfather served there in the Royal Engineers and was captured by the Japanese during the British retreat towards India in 1941/42. He spent the last year of his life as a slave labourer working on the Burma Railway before dying of Cholera in some filthy Godforsaken part of the jungle. He was only 24 when he died.

My step-grandfather also served in the far East and took part in the defense of Singapore before being captured. His weapon, incidentally, was a Thompson smg with the pistol fore-grip and 50 rd drum. He said everyone in his squad wanted one too when they went into the jungle to face the advancing Japanese.

He only spoke to me once about his experiences, when he saw that I was sincerely interested in what it was like. The fighting, he said, was nerve-destroying. The terrain itself was alien and terrifying. It was almost like fighting a whole separate enemy, what with the triple-digit heat, monsoon rain, insects, disease, snakes, swamp, no way to get the wounded to safety, etc. He never went into specifics about the way the Japanese treated their prisoners, except to say that prisoners were less important than pack animals, just expendable things, really, and that the guards would occasionally bayonet a prisoner to death for amusement.

My weapon of choice – Actually I’d be very confident carrying a No.4 Lee-Enfield into battle.

Twice the magazine capacity of a German rifle, and the slug is heavy enough that if you get knocked down by it you generally stay knocked down. Also, it’s a true military rifle, tested in the muddy, bloody trenches of WWI and then improved upon based on that experience.

The only serious disadvantage would be if I had to go house-to-house against a German armed with an MP-40 or put down a really heavy suppressing fire all by myself, but all tolled I think it still offers the best of all worlds.

 

[flashman70]

My dad volunteered for the Air Corps but washed out of pilot training and wound up a radioman in India. Pretty soft duty. I think he flew into Burma at the end of the war once.

My late father-in-law, on the other hand, was a gunnery sgt. in the Marine Corps (3rd Div. if I remember his service records correctly) and saw combat on Bougainville, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He left the Corps when (as the father of two baby daughters) they were going to send him to Korea.

My mother's brother was a Seebee on Guam and her cousin was in Patton's 3rd Army and participated in the relief of Bastogne.

I guess where you served wasn't as important as having served. That generation stepped up. Those who served in Korea and Viet Nam also deserve recognition being given to "the greatest generation."

Needless to say I am in awe and appreciation of the men and women that serve in our volunteer military of today.