Finished the book.....

Goose

Well-known Member
I finished reading the book, "Operation Storm", about Japan's I-400 class aircraft carrier submarines in WWII. What with the shortages of material, shortages of fuel, etc., it was remarkable the tenacity of the crews right up to the hour, literally, when the Emperor handed down a message to cease all combat operations.

Another good read on submarine warfare on the other side of the globe is "Iron Coffins" by Oberlutenant Herbert Werner, one of three German U-boat captains to fight through the entire WWII and survive. Around March 1, 1945, Werner's boat was damaged and had to go into drydock for repairs. Repairs were estimated at 6-8 weeks. This gave him time to reflect and realize that there was no way Germany would win the war. He hatched a plan. He was single, both of his parents and his sister were lost in the war, his main girl friends were gone, so he began searching personnel files looking for men in similar circumstances. His plan was to put a skeleton crew together and when his boat was fixed scram for South America and take what asylum he could get. His boat had the range, as he had once been on a mining mission in Chesapeake Bay. Then the war ended before his boat was fixed.
 
I have often wondered why men fight for an evil govt. like Hitler or Ho Chi Min. Half of our younger generation are embracing commmmmunism. Can't they see what the end result will be?
 
I read Iron Coffins" twice over the years, very interesting. I just read two war books; "Indestructable" by John R. Bruning, and "Devotion" by Adam Makos. Both good books, Indestructable was very interesting. Adam Makos also wrote "A Higher Call" which I read a couple years ago about a german pilot. Also read "Monuments Men" by Robert M. Edsel last year after seeing the movie.
 
Nice update.
I was at the library last night and saw a couple of books about the Uboat war. Need to pick one up next time. This time I got Brotherhood of Heros by Bill Sloan about USMC taking Peleliu. Read a couple of chapters before my eyes started to droop.
If you've never read With The Old Breed by EB Sledge it is an absolute must read.
He was at Peleliu.
 

A few years back I read "Left for Dead", about the defense and surrender of the Marine and Naval forces on Wake Island. Quite a different take than the traditional thought that the Navy Commander, Winfield S Cunningham, was some sort of genius hero.
 
Most of them didn't. German U-boat crews had something like a 93% mortality rate.
 
The may be evil, but they are probably charismatic leaders. In the beginnig, they people follow blindly because it sounds good. Later on, you fight to maybe survive, or they just kill you now.

Why do people hang on the words of celebrities and royaly? Why do people follow religion?

"A person is smart, people are dumb panicky dangerous animals."
 
The trouble is communism and socializum are the ultimate promise of pie in the sky. Even the pilgrims found out that it doesn't work. That is why capitalism works..unfair to the bums and slackers, but it works.
 
Devotion is one of my favorites. Learned a lot about the Korean War. Sadly, Lieutenant Hudner passed away in November last. Heard him interviewed a few times. Amazing man.
 
(quoted from post at 00:05:34 01/09/18) I have often wondered why men fight for an evil govt. like Hitler or Ho Chi Min. Half of our younger generation are embracing commmmmunism. Can't they see what the end result will be?
The Germans seemed to be a strange bunch during WWII. There were good-hearted folks I'm sure but have to wonder about how ruthless the Gestapo, SS, and Vermacht were. I recently read a civilian account of ordinary German soldiers killing a young child for showing disrespect.
 
I have read a bit about the u boats. By 1944, it was a death sentence. The eastern front got to be the same way for the Wehrmacht, even if you surrendered, you probably would not survive. Of course, Soviet pows were worse off.....
 
I am not asking because I do not know, its a question about human behavior. There are many different religions around the world why does a person follow one vs. another? Some people don't feel the need to follow any religion. And then we can get into the question of religion or faith? They are not the same.
 
There were all manner of personalities wherever, but the Gestapo and SS were the most ruthless.

I have a book, "Night Fighter", an autobiography by Bob Braham, one of Britain's top fighter aces in WWII with 29 confirmed kills. He was shot down over occupied Norway and spent the last 10 months of the war in a German prison camp. When he was shot down, he managed to beach his airplane rather than bail out. The plane that shot him down turned around and came back. Braham thought the pilot was going to strafe him and try to finish him off. Instead, the pilot flew over low and slow and waved.

Next day, when Braham was still in an interrogation room, the pilot that shot him down came to visit him. Turned out it was Robert Sprechels, one of Germany's top aces. Through an interpreter, Sprechels told Braham that he was glad he hadn't been hurt, and that he had nothing against him personally, it was "just the war". Sprechels and Braham looked each other up after the war and became good friends.

Then when Braham was in the POW camp, German guards and Allied prisoners alike were basically marking time till the war ended.

Back to the Japanese subs, some sub captains executed survivors of ships they'd sunk, and some of the crew members were totally repulsed by it. It mostly depended on individual personalities and level of dedication.
 
I read Iron Coffins when I was about 13 years old. Few books have stuck in my mind like that one; I ought to read it again.

I highly recommend Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. It describes the efforts by amateur divers to identify a U-boat wreck found off the coast of New Jersey.
 
WAKE ISLAND WILDCATS IS A GOOD ONE....THOSE NAVY/MARINE PILOTS FOUGHT TO THE LAST GRUMMAN AEROPLANE...BE BLESSED, GRATEFUL, PREPARED...
 

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