World War 2 trivia.

[Will Carry]

During World War 2 Winston Churchill travelled across the Atlantic from England to New York on the Queen Mary. He insisted that his life boat have a Browning M2 mounted on it. "They won't take me alive!" He said, referring to the U-boat threat.

 

I'm reading the second book of Rick Atkinson's Liberation trilogy. A great read full of interesting facts.

[Mike.357]

almost hard to imagine in present day the risks taken back during WW2 to get around.  

 

fascinating fact.  Post some more.

[Will Carry]

 I could hardly put the first book down and the second book is even better.

 

  The first book, "An Army At Dawn" tells about an army of green soldiers and untried officers landing in North Africa to confront Rommel's battle hardened Africa Corps. For the first three days Patton was fighting the French!  The French killed, wounded and captured hundreds (over 2000) of US troops, until they changed sides and fought with us.  When the French army changed sides, Hitler ordered several crack divisions to occupy Vichy France. These divisions were supposed to have been sent to fight the Russians, who were reeling from the Blitzkrieg.

 

One night, as the US Navy's transports lay off the beaches of Morocco, in the Atlantic ocean, a German Submarine surfaced right in the middle of the fleet, spun around firing both bow and stern tubes, then submerged and got away. It sank 3 ships and crippled two more.  The very next night another German sub did the same thing with similar results. Both subs got away. 

 

The American military did not want to fight in Africa. They wanted to charge across the English channel at Calais and go straight to Berlin. Churchill convinced Roosevelt that perhaps that was not a great idea in 1942. He was right.  Rommel's Africa Corps mauled the green US forces at Sidi Bo Zid and Kasserine.  The Germans were really good soldiers and were well led by officers with years of combat experience. 

Edited September 13, 2014 by Will Carry

[RC3]

The germans had uboats off the coast of continental US.

[Will Carry]

The germans had uboats off the coast of continental US.

It's hard to believe but it's true. Here is what I found on Wikipedia.

 

The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during the Second Happy Time in 1942, and over 5,000 people were killed, many of whom were civilians and merchant marines. The period of attacks began in January 1942, and together were known as the "Great American Turkey Shoot", by U-boat sailors. Torpedo Alley encompassed the area surrounding the Outer Banks, including Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras

[RC3]

It's hard to believe but it's true. Here is what I found on Wikipedia.

 

The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during the Second Happy Time in 1942, and over 5,000 people were killed, many of whom were civilians and merchant marines. The period of attacks began in January 1942, and together were known as the "Great American Turkey Shoot", by U-boat sailors. Torpedo Alley encompassed the area surrounding the Outer Banks, including Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras

Even tho it is something that occurred including the sinking of a ship of the carolina coast, I would refrain from using wikipedia as a source. 

[runco]

Thanks for posting.  I have been needing something new to read! 

[monkeylizard]

The 2nd Polish Corps fighting the battle of Monte Cassino used a brown bear called Wojtek who helped to move boxes of ammunition. He became so popular that the company he was assigned to (he was officially an enlisted soldier according to the Polish Army) they changed their company emblem to include him.

 

Edited September 14, 2014 by monkeylizard

[Mike.357]

When the Allies bombed the crap out of Monte Cassino there were no Germans there.  All the valuables had been removed and sent to the Vatican.   The German general in charge contacted the US and told them they were not there.  Promised it on his name.   We bombed the crap out of it anyway.  Later when Hitler found out that the General had contacted the US he had him recalled to Germany, imprisoned him and had him executed.

[monkeylizard]

SS leader Heinrich Himmler was a chicken farmer before the war.

[Will Carry]

I hope you guys don't get tired of this. I'll try not to quote Wiki.

 

The US infantry were practicing beach landing near Oran on the North African coast, prior to landing on Sicily.  General Patton came storming down the beach, mad as hell. "Captain! Get these men off this @#$%  beach!" The captain replied "but general, I'm a chaplain." " I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE JESUS CHRIST! GET THE MEN OFF THE BEACH AND TO THEIR OBJECTIVES!" Then he stormed away.

 

The landings on Sicily were the largest amphibious landings of WWII. Bigger than Normandy by two divisions.

[Daniel]

During World War 2 Winston Churchill travelled across the Atlantic from England to New York on the Queen Mary. He insisted that his life boat have a Browning M2 mounted on it. "They won't take me alive!" He said, referring to the U-boat threat.

 

I'm reading the second book of Rick Atkinson's Liberation trilogy. A great read full of interesting facts.

I met him at a book signing in 2004 or 2005. It was for this book 

In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat

http://www.amazon.com/In-Company-Soldiers-Chronicle-Combat/dp/0805077731

[K191145]

It was the Polish who broke most of the German inigma code, when they were being invaded most all of their research were smuggled out to England, other research was destroyed. Some of the Polish code breakers were tortured by the SS but never revealed what their research was. Breaking the inigma code was definatly at the top of the list of important secret discoveries that won the war, if at least years earlier.

 

A Norwegian special forces unit was formed with the sole mission to destroy/disable the German heavy water plant, Germany's main ingredient in seperating uranium from ore for their atom bomb project.

Japan had an atom bomb project and it is rumored, told by a witness that they actually tested a working device in the Pacific in 45 about the same time America dropped it's bombs. Japan had no way to deliver any device they might have made because of size, except in a submarine. Their plan was to detonate it in SanFrancisco Bay.

[Will Carry]

Hundreds of American soldiers and sailors were killed with Mustard Gas in the port of Bari, Italy, after a surprise attack by over 20 German bombers.  The only problem was that it was our Mustard gas that killed them.  Rumors had spread that Hitler might use poison gas as a last resort so the US Navy was ordered to send a ship filled with Mustard gas close to the front lines so they could be deployed as a retaliation should Hitler use gas. It was so secret that nobody in the port knew of it. When the Luftwaffe made their surprise attack, they sank 17 ships (including the Mustard Gas ship) and damaged many more in the harbor. They started getting wounded who had terrible blisters on their skin and lungs, by the time they figured out what it was, over 600 men had died at the hospital and countless more died before they were found. If they had known of the Mustard gas, they would have used decontamination procedures and could have saved many of the victims.  It is not known how many Italians died of the poison gas.

 

http://www.rense.com/general16/WWIIluftwaffe.htm

Edited October 6, 2014 by Will Carry

[2.ooohhh]

If you guys should ever find yourself in New Orleans I highly recommend taking a day to stop by the WWII museum. I had a blast checking out the exhibits but the best part was chatting with a few vets that were there for an event later that day.

 

 

Some information on the restoration of the b-17 above.

[K191145]

If you guys should ever find yourself in New Orleans I highly recommend taking a day to stop by the WWII museum. I had a blast checking out the exhibits but the best part was chatting with a few vets that were there for an event later that day.

 

 

Some information on the restoration of the b-17 above.

 

The most famous B17, the Memphis Bell is being restored in Dayton Ohio, for a while it was in Memphis, I believe they stuck it on Mud Island and was letting it rot. It will stay at the museum in Ohio where it should be and taken care of.

 

http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/story/2012-06-24/Memphis-Belle-famed-WWII-bomber-being-restored-in-Ohio/55786672/1

Edited October 6, 2014 by K191145

[hipower]

It's hard to believe but it's true. Here is what I found on Wikipedia.
 
The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during the Second Happy Time in 1942, and over 5,000 people were killed, many of whom were civilians and merchant marines. The period of attacks began in January 1942, and together were known as the "Great American Turkey Shoot", by U-boat sailors. Torpedo Alley encompassed the area surrounding the Outer Banks, including Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras

Very true. And to this day most people think that all the attacks and sinkings took place much further out in the Atlantic, closer to Europe. Edited October 6, 2014 by hipower

[NoBanStan]

This is one of my favorites:

 

Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Fleming Curchill "Mad Jack" fought through WWII carrying a longbow and a Scottish broadsword. He is accredited as the only British soldier with a confirmed longbow kill.

 

His motto was "any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed".

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2591552/World-War-2-hero-Mad-Jack-Churchill-named-one-worlds-greatest-adventurers.html