WWII Theaters of Operation... Which Do You Prefer?

[Mojave Jack]

Baron, that's not a subject that's the least bit boring. It is, however, underappreciated. Good on you and all the other sinterested in that topic for doing the research and bringing their stories to the public.

My favorite theater is North Africa. I can't learn enough about that area, in peace or war.

My other interest covers all of the theaters: gliders. I started researching them when I got here to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Prior to the Marine Corps arriving here in 1952, the facility was first an Army Air Force-contracted pilot training school, the Twentynine Palms Air Academy. They taught glider pilots from 1942 through 1943, powered flight from 1943 to 1944, then the Navy took it over as a bombing range until the end of the war.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/MojaveJack/29PalmsAirAcademyClassBookCoversm.jpg

I did a lecture on it at the Desert Institute Lecture Series last November. I gave the lecture, then drove straight to Long Beach to the QM for the Summit!

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

It's scary how much I look like my father, especially as I get older.

Here's one of my father and his father in their Home Guard uniforms (Click on thumbnail for larger picture):

 

[Baron Kurtz]

My other interest covers all of the theaters: gliders.

The german attack on Eben Emael. 10 gliders holding 78 troops took a garrison of 780 in a few hours. The gliders landed inside the fortress. The Belgians were so stunned, i think, that they didn't know quite what to do. Belgians still don't know quite how to explain it. All the Belgians i know are so ashamed that they never talk of it.

And then there's Crete! What a disaster for the gliders that was.

bk

 

[Mojave Jack]

The german attack on Eben Emael. 10 gliders holding 78 troops took a garrison of 780 in a few hours. The gliders landed inside the fortress. The Belgians were so stunned, i think, that they didn't know quite what to do. Belgians still don't know quite how to explain it. All the Belgians i know are so ashamed that they never talk of it.

And then there's Crete! What a disaster for the gliders that was.

bk

BK, you'll probably recognize this man:

.

He was the mastermind behind the Eben Emael assault and the German glider program. Hitler planned for a two week seige of Eben Emael, and Col Student's troops took it in 20 minutes. The really odd thing is, Gen Student learned a lot of what he knew about glider assaults from the Russians! They had been experimenting with gliders, but gave them up. When Student was visiting Russia prior to the war he realized the value of combat gliders. Coupled with the Luftwaffe glider pilot training going on in pre-war Germany, it was a natural fit. And a devastating one for Eben Emael!

Student's troops made another brilliant glider assault on the bridges at the Corinth Canal in Greece just before the Crete disaster, too. If a lucky shot (for the British and Greeks) hadn't hit the explosive charges that the German sappers had just removed from the only bridge crossing the canal, the British and Greek retreat would have been completely cut off by a force of glider and paratroops.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

My other interest covers all of the theaters: gliders. I started researching them when I got here to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. Prior to the Marine Corps arriving here in 1952, the facility was first an Army Air Force-contracted pilot training school, the Twentynine Palms Air Academy. They taught glider pilots from 1942 through 1943, powered flight from 1943 to 1944, then the Navy took it over as a bombing range until the end of the war.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y182/MojaveJack/29PalmsAirAcademyClassBookCoversm.jpg

I did a lecture on it at the Desert Institute Lecture Series last November. I gave the lecture, then drove straight to Long Beach to the QM for the Summit!

Neat Image........Laister-Kauffman eh?
Have anything on the CG-10? (I have some interesting info I found from a company that did some engineering for them)

 

[Captain Krunch]

Let's here 'em

I'll get a list up of my recommended sub books in a new thread sometime this weekend.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Neat Image........Laister-Kauffman eh?
Have anything on the CG-10? (I have some interesting info I found from a company that did some engineering for them)

Close! That one is actually a Taylorcraft TG-6, though it is a drawing so it's not very specific. We didn't have any of the TG-4s here at 29 Palms, but I did come across them in my research. We mainly had Schwietzer TG-2s (Grey Goose) and Frankfurt TG-1s (Ruptured Duck!). Later they got Aeronca TG-5s and the TG-6s.

The Taylorcraft and Aeroncas have an interesting story behind them. The AAF couldn't get enough 2-place training gliders, so Hap Arnold went to Charles Stanton, who ran the Civilian Pilot Training Program. Stanton had a surplus of small trainer aircraft, so he sketched out plans to convert Aeronca Defenders, Taylorcraft Tandems, and Piper Cubs in to multiplace gliders on a napkin and gave it to his engineers. They followed his plans, and produced the TG-5s, TG-6s and the Piper TG-8. By the end of the program there were twenty-some different training glider designations.

As for the CG-10, I didn't find much about it, though I know there were a number of designs on the board. After the war the designers had these awesome plans for large, all-metal skin gliders, the ACG-18 and the ACG-20. So they just added engines and got the Chase C-122 Ariatruc (Jeez, what a lousy name!) and the Fairchild C-123 Provider!

 

[Dixon's Dame]

For me, it's always been a toss-up between Europe and anything having to do with submarines. I grew up devouring every book on WWII subs I could get my hands on, from our boats to U-boats. And being a huge Combat! fan guaranteed a long-standing interest in the Infantry in Europe. I'm reading a book called "The U-Boat Peril" by Bob Whinney right now. And at the same time I'm reading one of the Ballantine Illustrated History of WWII books on Normandy. Keeps me happy with both interests.

 

[Twitch]

I can't narrow it down to any one theater, I'm nuts about anything concerning WW 2- fighter planes, SS units, kamikazes, D-Day grunts, anything! I have nearly 500 books and keep acquiring more.

Help! Stop me! Help!

 

[Widebrim]

^^Bump. Since my father served in the Pacific with the 7th ID, USA, I am most interested in that theater, although while growing up, I saw more than my share of ETO-based films. Over the years, I have also developed an interest in the Italian Army in North and East Africa.

 

[Diamondback]

SoWesPac (MacArthur), II Corps & 3rd Army (Patton), USN carrier ops, anything airborne or warship, and all small-arms. Starting to dig into DAK and British 8th Army--to truly understand a given individual, you must also understand those who oppose them, and for Patton that means Rommel and (sometime ally) Montgomery.

 

[KilroyCD]

I've always had a tremendous interest in the Battle of Britain, and feel that it was truly the first major turning point of the war. I doubt I'm the only one on this forum who feels that way. Smithy? Spitfire? Let's hear your thoughts.
I visited the UK for both the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the B of B, and I'm truly lamenting the fact I cannot get there this year for the 70th.

 

[Smithy]

I've always had a tremendous interest in the Battle of Britain, and feel that it was truly the first major turning point of the war. I doubt I'm the only one on this forum who feels that way. Smithy? Spitfire? Let's hear your thoughts.

Kilroy, you know me!

The Battle of Britain (and the Battle of France for that matter) is my major interest. I've been interested in this from a very early age and have been seriously researching it for a little over 10 years now. The fact that one of my relatives flew in it just adds to my fascination with it.

To a lesser extent I'm also interested in 485(NZ) Squadron and also the two Norwegian Spitfire squadrons, 331 and 332.

 

[KilroyCD]

To a lesser extent I'm also interested in 485(NZ) Squadron and also the two Norwegian Spitfire squadrons, 331 and 332.

For me it's 610 (County of Chester) Squadron. I'm quite chuffed that Corgi has seen fit to issue the Spit XIVc in S/L R.A. Newberry's markings. I know that isn't B of B, but seeing the photo of 610's MkXIVs led by Newberry is what got me interested in Spitfires way back when.

 

[MPicciotto]

No offense to fans of the Mighty 8th. But to me the 8th AF is like Schwinn Bicycles, Delta power tools, Stanley hand tools and Cocoran jump boots. Not overly popular for a bad reason. Just overly popular for me. I prefer the stories crackpot units at the ends of the earth, flying aircraft literally ductaped together and doing some of the most amazing stuff. Like mounting a mountain howitzer in the nose of a bomber and after bombing a bridge looking for "targets of opportunity" to shoot at. Or dropping grenades out of L-birds. Or the CAP dropping bombs on whales (ok they thought it was a submarine) I mean civilians with military issued BOMBS! That's the kind of stuff that gets me ramped up. No disrespect to the men of the 8th. I can't fathom the lengths of those missions. I can't even sit in my car that long!

Below are what grabs my attention the most.

The 490th Bomb Squadron of the 341st Bomb Group in CBI. CBI AAF in general (my maternal grandfather was there) and Pacific AAF (my paternal grandfather was there) I also like the Eastern Front from the Russian side. But then since I've been to "Mother Russia" twice and am good friends with some Russians my interest there is much broader then war related.

Matt

 

[Smithy]

For me it's 610 (County of Chester) Squadron. I'm quite chuffed that Corgi has seen fit to issue the Spit XIVc in S/L R.A. Newberry's markings. I know that isn't B of B, but seeing the photo of 610's MkXIVs led by Newberry is what got me interested in Spitfires way back when.

I make the occasional model Kilroy, and have a Spit Ia with 610 decals on the to do list, although it'll most probably end up with 64 Sqn markings. From the BoB I'm very interested in 64, 92 and 601.

485, 331 and 332 are my post BoB interests but they don't as much eyeballing as the BoB

 

[KilroyCD]

I make the occasional model Kilroy, and have a Spit Ia with 610 decals on the to do list, although it'll most probably end up with 64 Sqn markings. From the BoB I'm very interested in 64, 92 and 601.

485, 331 and 332 are my post BoB interests but they don't as much eyeballing as the BoB

As far as B of B is concerned, 610, 19, 141 and 264. Yes, I like the Defiants too!

 

[Spitfire]

Battle of Britain/Battle of France for me too.
85 Squadron, 249 Squadron and to some extent 43 Squadron as well.
And yes - I do believe that the outcome of The Battle of Britain had a vital impact on WWII. Maybe even the most important single scenario.

Besides that WWII RAF in general takes up a bit of space on my bookshelves.
This interrest has followed me since I was a teenager, only to be interrupted by a long fling with Napoleon (Quite another story).

And an ever shorter one with 101 Airborne - fired up by Band of Brothers on TV.
But after some not-so-nice-encounters with the webmaster - and some gungho followers - on a wellknown 101 Forum, I left the Airborne for good.
Just not my cup of tea.[huh]

 

[alden405]

My main interest is the use of horse and mules by the Allies during and after WW2
So my theatre interest extends from East Africa,Palestine/Israel,Burma,India,China,BEF,North Africa,MTO,all home fronts and occupied Germany and Japan

 

[Widebrim]

My main interest is the use of horse and mules by the Allies during and after WW2
So my theatre interest extends from East Africa,Palestine/Israel,Burma,India,China,BEF,North Africa,MTO,all home fronts and occupied Germany and Japan

That is one wide swath...I also am interested in the use of the horse in WWII, particularly Cavalry and Horse Artillery. Interesting that more horses and mules were used in WWII than the Great War (but, then, the former was longer in duration and had more nations involved).