VJ Day

[dhermann1]

I thought it wouldn't hurt to start a new separate thread for VJ Day. It really marked the end of 6 years of agony for the human race.
And a special nod to the Brits. Britain was the only country to be at war the whole 6 years, from Sept 3, 1939, till Aug 14, 1945. Britain was also the most mobilized country in the war. They had a higher percentage of their population in uniform than any other nation. That includes Germany and Russia. They really gave all so that the world could be free.

 

[W4ASZ]

Tonight I'll quaff a pint in honor of all our lads and ladies.

 

[Aristaeus]

Actually it was China who fought the longest (July 7, 1937 – September 9, 1945). They were an ally as well.

 

[LizzieMaine]

China is too often forgotten or overlooked in discussions of the war. A bit of research on their civilian death toll -- and the conditions that produced it -- will leave you horrified that this is the case.

 

[AmateisGal]

I'm happy to report that, here in the U.S., August 14 will now be a national day of remembrance for the end of World War II and to remember the Greatest Generation.

More info here:

http://www.spiritof45.org/index.php?Support_the_Bill&id=16/

 

[dhermann1]

The historians always put Sept.3, 1939 as the start of the World War. I guess the invasion of Poland was a local issue until Britain and France jumped in.
The Japanese were in China throughout the 30's. I would have to agree that we should count the start of the war as the invasion by the Japanese in 1937. The Japanese killed Chinese by the hundreds of thousands.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Japanese were in China throughout the 30's. I would have to agree that we should count the start of the war as the invasion by the Japanese in 1937. The Japanese killed Chinese by the hundreds of thousands.

Four million, by some counts.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Actually it was China who fought the longest (July 7, 1937 – September 9, 1945). They were an ally as well.

Nertz! You and Lizzie beat me to the punch on this one. I'm in the middle of reading A Flying Tiger's Diary written by Charles Bond, MGen (ret). He was one of the original AVG pilots who went to China and it's fascinating reading. The Empire of the Sun was messing around in China even before 1937 but took a break before they started up again full boil in 1937. Around 1905, they even took a whack at Russia, but lost a bunch of territory there when Teddy Roosevelt was one of the mediators in the peace process at the end of the Russo-Japanese war. (They believed they were cheated out of the territories.)

Please note one thing. I will always refer to the wartime Japan as the Empire of the Sun and not just Japan. Today's Japan is so far different from that old regime that now I feel it wouldn't be right saying it any other way. It's the same with Germany. In referring to the wartime Germany, I use the term Nazi Germany.

 

[Doublegun]

God bless those Allied veterans who are still alive today and preserve the memory of all who served so that never a day goes by when we don't pause for a moment and give thanks.

JDG

 

[Silver Dollar]

God bless those Allied veterans who are still alive today and preserve the memory of all who served so that never a day goes by when we don't pause for a moment and give thanks.

JDG

Amen and Amen again. And God Bless those veterans like the AVG and Eagle Squadrons who went to help those in need early on.

 

[Chainsaw]

Don't forget Canada. They lost a lot soldiers than in WWII. And don't forget The Polish, first we put up with the Russians, then the Germans. We didn't get much help, but we pulled through.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Don't forget Canada. They lost a lot soldiers than in WWII. And don't forget The Polish, first we put up with the Russians, then the Germans. We didn't get much help, but we pulled through.

That's absolutely right. We must remember the Polish flyers who flew in the Battle of Britain and were at The UK's side early on. There were many nations we must pay tribute to.

 

[Rookie1]

China is too often forgotten or overlooked in discussions of the war. A bit of research on their civilian death toll -- and the conditions that produced it -- will leave you horrified that this is the case.

I went to a local WW2 meeting on Flying the "hump" and the events that led up to that. The speaker spent alot of timeon the rape of Nanking. He stressed what an atrocity it was. But I suppose thats for another thread.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I went to a local WW2 meeting on Flying the "hump" and the events that led up to that. The speaker spent alot of timeon the rape of Nanking. He stressed what an atrocity it was. But I suppose thats for another thread.

One of the most enduring horrors stemming from what Imperial Japan did to China is the environmental damage that endures to this day: the entire Chinese manufacturing sector was uprooted from the coastal regions and forced inland, toward the western part of the country, destroying huge swaths of agricultural and wilderness territory that has never fully recovered. The toll on both the region's human and wildlife populations has been incalculable -- the occupation quite literally devastated the nation. Which was its intent.

I think there's a tendency today to downplay the significance of the Pacific War, to somehow suggest the war against Imperial Japan was "less just" than that against Nazi Germany. Many Americans, especially, tend to think the whole point of the war was "revenge for Pearl Harbor." In fact, though, Imperial Japan was guilty of incalculable horrors during the 1930s and 1940s, long before the first bomb was dropped at Pearl. Today, of all days, we should remember that.

 

[AmateisGal]

One of the most enduring horrors stemming from what Imperial Japan did to China is the environmental damage that endures to this day: the entire Chinese manufacturing sector was uprooted from the coastal regions and forced inland, toward the western part of the country, destroying huge swaths of agricultural and wilderness territory that has never fully recovered. The toll on both the region's human and wildlife populations has been incalculable -- the occupation quite literally devastated the nation. Which was its intent.

I think there's a tendency today to downplay the significance of the Pacific War, to somehow suggest the war against Imperial Japan was "less just" than that against Nazi Germany. Many Americans, especially, tend to think the whole point of the war was "revenge for Pearl Harbor." In fact, though, Imperial Japan was guilty of incalculable horrors during the 1930s and 1940s, long before the first bomb was dropped at Pearl. Today, of all days, we should remember that.

Excellent points, Lizzie.

 

[Vintage lover]

God bless all of those who fought in the War of Wars. You will never be forgotten.

 

[W4ASZ]

Don't forget Canada. They lost a lot soldiers than in WWII. And don't forget The Polish, first we put up with the Russians, then the Germans. We didn't get much help, but we pulled through.

It wasn't only combat. Polish intelligence gave her Allies a major head start on Enigma. (The Enigma War, Garlinski.)

So, I'll make it a pint with a kielbasa ! :eusa_clap

 

[Doublegun]

Enjoy: http://vimeo.com/5645171

 

[Dixon Cannon]

The surrender proceedings:

http://www.freedomdocuments.com/macarthur.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnH_kF1zXc

-dixon cannon

 

[HepKitty]

speaking of Nanking, see the movie or read the book (or preferably both, if you can stomach it). I saw the movie and cried through most of it, it was awful to say the least