Posted on 12/09/2012 5:23:56 AM PST by lowbridge
On Dec. 20, 1943, a young American bomber pilot named Charlie Brown found himself somewhere over Germany, struggling to keep his plane aloft with just one of its four engines still working. They were returning from their first mission as a unit, the successful bombing of a German munitions factory. Of his crew members, one was dead and six wounded, and 2nd Lt. Brown was alone in his cockpit, the three unharmed men tending to the others. Brown’s B-17 had been attacked by 15 German planes and left for dead, and Brown himself had been knocked out in the assault, regaining consciousness in just enough time to pull the plane out of a near-fatal nose dive.
None of that was as shocking as the German pilot now suddenly to his right.
Brown thought he was hallucinating. He did that thing you see people do in movies: He closed his eyes and shook his head no. He looked, again, out the co-pilot’s window. Again, the lone German was still there, and now it was worse. He’d flown over to Brown’s left and was frantic: pointing, mouthing things that Brown couldn’t begin to comprehend, making these wild gestures, exaggerating his expressions like a cartoon character.
Brown, already in shock, was freshly shot through with fear. What was this guy up to?
He craned his neck and yelled back for his top gunner, screamed at him to get up in his turret and shoot this guy out of the sky. Before Brown’s gunner could squeeze off his first round, the German did something even weirder: He looked Brown in the eye and gave him a salute. Then he peeled away.
What just happened?
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I think the sides tend to get more hard nosed the longer they are in combat.
I read a story by an American Infantry Officer, that occurred during the early days of the Italian Campaign (1943). His unit and a German unit ran into each other, had a vicious fire fight, and both sides retreated, leaving their wounded behind. The German CO sent out a messenger under a white flag, and offered a brief truce, so that the wounded could be recovered. The American CO agreed, and for an hour or two the German and American medics worked together in no man's land, between the opposing units, to find and stabilize the wounded from both sides, and see to it that they were evacuated to their own lines. The American Officer said that guys whose first experience of the was the vicious fighting in the Winter of 44-45, or later, refused to believe that such a thing had happened.
Yeah, and both viewpoints would have been right about their location and time. Very different wars from year to year and theater to theater.
I was already watching one of my favorite war movies, “RedTails”. Watched battle of Britain this morning.
I need to find a Bluray copy of Memphis Belle.
War is hell.
In Yeager's book, he tells about missions where they went down and shot every car, horse, bike, cow, hog, person, boat or bus that they could find in their assigned area. He said they didn't like doing those missions and if that's how they are going to do things, they damn sure better win the war.
I lived over there for a few years as a dependent. You are right, fascinating people. They seem to have this bizarre combination of an appreciation for beauty and capacity for brutality. (I admit, I liked them as a kid)
I had to laugh when I was reading about the USS Astoria bringing the ashes of their ambassador back to Japan in 1939, and after the visit one of the officers on the ship said something to the effect of never having seen a country where the women were so beautiful and sweet and the men were such sons of bitches.
The Japanese had the last laugh on her, though, at Savo Island.
They were probably just peasant fishermen, but...the argument could be (and was) made at the time they were providing fish to dry and stick in rice balls for the front line troops. When total war comes, everyone gets it.
My favorite war movie is “The Best Years Of Their Lives”.
Almost all.
Recall the attempted coup on the eve of the scheduled broadcast of the Emperor's surrender announcement.
The Last Mission: The Secret History of World War II's Final Battle
Almost all.
Recall the attempted coup on the eve of the scheduled broadcast of the Emperor's surrender announcement.
The Last Mission: The Secret History of World War II's Final Battle
The Last Missino is a tremendous documentary. But the palace coup attempt was before the emperor’s message was actually broadcast. Once his voice went out, that was it.
Old Chuck sure had the right stuff. In spades. We don’t make them like that any more.
That is amazing color WW2 gun camera footage!
Amen to that. When I was a young airman, I had the distinct pleasure of serving with a couple of older men (retired in so-called double dipper status) who had been doing the same in that war over Europe and the Pacific.
I especially like the story one told me about Dec 7th, (Dec 8th in the PI) 1941. He was a B-17 waist gunner who had a part time job as a bartender at the O’Club on Clark AB in the Phillipines. He worked late the night before and was allowed to sleep in. He was woke up by a buddy who told him they were going to bomb Formosa. While getting dressed the Japs attacked Clark Field. His plane made it through unscathed, and when he got to it, more than half the planes on Clark were destroyed.
He later flew out to Mindinao, and to Australia before the PI fell. He was later transferred to England, and had several enocunters he should have died from over Europe; too many to tell.
I love these old tales. I had to keep in mind, too, that the old guys telling them were, at the time, young fellows like me. Now, I’m an old guy like they were when they told me!
You do have a point there...
I had a female professor - a german expatriate - in JC who told us the same sort of story.
Wow.... Thanks for sharing that story.
You might like some of the stories on this old thread as well....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2515571/posts?page=43#43
Stay safe ...!
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