Marshal Dan Troop 70448 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Just finished reading a book I started yesterday morning, read it through the day, and woke up early to finish, "Flyboys", by James Bradley. Its probable the most shocking book on WW2 I've read. About things that nations do during the war to POWs. Plus historical events that pre-date the war about mans injustice to each other, unspeakable things that even our nation in its growth did. It will open your eyes to beyond the battlefields. I highly recommend it. MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 History ain't pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Sleep Good Guy #41785 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 MT, I read the book a year or so ago. I agree with you. It is shocking and heartbreaking what our boys went through. I can't imagine what it must have been like for them. I saw a Marine WWII vet in the doctor's office a few months ago. I thanked him for what he did in WWII and got to talking to him. He flew the same type of dive bombers as depicted in that book. I asked him if he had read "Flyboys". He said he had and enjoyed it, but he was not in that part of the Pacific. What heroes!! Regards, TSGG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanish Bit Bobb Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 War is hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugs Bonney SASS # 10171 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I have it on my bookshelf and also reccomend it to anyone that can stomach real history. What I found more shocking than whatr happened to the POW's was Japans lack of regard for its own people. Trfoops werre trained and put on islands with no regard to feeding, re-equiping, or rescueing them. When cut off they were simple written off and left to starve. The whole attitude of the japanese government and military toward their own people was no better than it was toward the POW's. Unfortunately, I have read enough real history to not be surprised or shocked. If you found that shocking you might read Forgotten Holocaust by Richard Lukas. For example the offical ration allotment to residents of Warsaw under Nazi rule in 1941 was 669 calories per day for Polish Workers, 184 calories for Jews amd 2613 for Germans. That was in 41 before things got bad! Remember these wern't POW's or combatants but the workers the nazi's expected to produce war material. Starvation is bad enough but believe me, it gets worse. Bugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Harris #154 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I read the book a year ago and I had a hard time putting it down. BH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve mile REB Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 FLY BOYS is a good book. Another better than good book is “A Question of Honor” by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. I promise you this book will impact you more than "FLY BOYS" as good as it is. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugs Bonney SASS # 10171 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 FLY BOYS is a good book. Another better than good book is “A Question of Honor” by Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. I promise you this book will impact you more than "FLY BOYS" as good as it is. 12 As a matter of fact I happen to own a copy of "A Question of Honor also". Not as grusom as Flyboys or Forgotten Holocast but it hits nearer home as it is quite and inditement against FDR and his turning all of Eastern Europe over to Stalin and his tender mercies. The chapter regarding how he and "Uncle Joe" teamed up against Churchill, ridiculed him, and divided Europe up between them with no regard for the wishes of the people involved was American politics at its worst. Bugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 was Japans lack of regard for its own people. Trfoops werre trained and put on islands with no regard to feeding, re-equiping, or rescueing them. When cut off they were simple written off and left to starve. Some of that can be attributed to how well we did at destroying their supply lines. Especially as we island hopped up the Solomon Islands and other islands in that area. You had American and a lesser degree Australian ships, subs, PT boats and aircraft destroying everything they could find night and day. At some point it becomes counter productive to lose more men then you are going to save. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugs Bonney SASS # 10171 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Some of that can be attributed to how well we did at destroying their supply lines. Especially as we island hopped up the Solomon Islands and other islands in that area. You had American and a lesser degree Australian ships, subs, PT boats and aircraft destroying everything they could find night and day. At some point it becomes counter productive to lose more men then you are going to save. No arguement but as the book points out there was never an attempt, a plan, or supplies set asside to ever try. It was conquor or die and don't expect any help from us. A man was worth no more than the cost of a postage stamp that would be used to draft his replacement. The book points out that the Japanese high command refered to drafties as "issen gorin" or six cents, the cost of a stamp. Bugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twelve mile REB Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 THE FALLEN by Marc Landas is another story of American POW'S and Japanese wartime atrocities. THE FORGOTTEN 500 by Gregory A. Freeman is another good one about the rescue of American airmen from Eastern Europe. 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 No arguement but as the book points out there was never an attempt, a plan, or supplies set asside to ever try. It was conquor or die and don't expect any help from us. A man was worth no more than the cost of a postage stamp that would be used to draft his replacement. The book points out that the Japanese high command refered to drafties as "issen gorin" or six cents, the cost of a stamp. Bugs I'll have to disagree with the book then. I've read a number of accounts of Japan trying to re-supply their troops and and in some cases evacuate them as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foul Mouth Frank Shutz Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 No arguement but as the book points out there was never an attempt, a plan, or supplies set asside to ever try. It was conquor or die and don't expect any help from us. A man was worth no more than the cost of a postage stamp that would be used to draft his replacement. The book points out that the Japanese high command refered to drafties as "issen gorin" or six cents, the cost of a stamp. Bugs Sounds like my Dad's opinion of what happened to his company in the Philippines. He got lucky and got sent home just before the war broke out, but all his friends were killed. Zero survivors. "The Battered Bastards of Bataan, No Momma, No Poppa, No Uncle Sam." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugs Bonney SASS # 10171 Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I'll have to disagree with the book then. I've read a number of accounts of Japan trying to re-supply their troops and and in some cases evacuate them as well. In some instances local commanders did what they could, Guadalcanal is a case in point. The book talks of a policy at National Command level. Stuff that may not be policy happens in every Army at a number of levels but that doesn't mean that there is a plan in place or a concern from higher command. Bugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Hair, SASS #29557 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Read it about a year ago and couldn't put it down. You might also want to read "Flags of Our Fathers" also by James Bradley, "With Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge and "Helmet for My Pillow" by Robert Leckie. The last two, BTW, were the basis for Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg's "The Pacific". Funny thing, there has been so many books and movies about the war in Europe, but so very little, in comparison, about the war in the Pacific, which was more brutal. "Flyboys" would make a great film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655 Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 Read it about a year ago and couldn't put it down. You might also want to read "Flags of Our Fathers" also by James Bradley, "With Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge and "Helmet for My Pillow" by Robert Leckie. The last two, BTW, were the basis for Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg's "The Pacific". Funny thing, there has been so many books and movies about the war in Europe, but so very little, in comparison, about the war in the Pacific, which was more brutal. "Flyboys" would make a great film. It is a story that needs to be told, too bad the title has already gone to a WWI film. Not sure how the audience would react to the beheadings and liver eating. Bush 41 came damn close to being captured on that island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.