Favourite WW2 story

[Jeffy-CanCon]

As evidenced in 68bird's "what battle?" thread, there are a lot of military history buffs on this forum. So, as suggested by Steelrat & Konigballer, I am starting a thread for you to post some of what you think are the most interesting stories from that conflict.

[Jakedubbleya]

The failed assasination attempt on hitler by his own elite.

[Target Practice]

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan. Take that, you sneaky bastards!

Edit: Also, the Doolittle Raids, and the firebombing of Tokyo.

[MicroMiniMe]

Hmm.
Decoding the 'Enigma' machine
Japanese launching of the Yamamoto(sp?)
Russian Winter
The lengths Rosevelt went to to keep Stalin happy at Malta and Yalta
The bombing of Dresden

[Kevmaster]

i love the whole 'consipricy' about roosevelt knowing of pearl harbor before it happened, personally


and everything in the pacific. the euro front was nice, but the air wars and sea wars of the pacific were magnificant

[rkjunior303]

i love the whole 'consipricy' about roosevelt knowing of pearl harbor before it happened, personally


and everything in the pacific. the euro front was nice, but the air wars and sea wars of the pacific were magnificant

Battle of Midway!

[Eagle]

USS Archerfish sinking the Shinano. 4 ASW torpedos sinking the largest waship ever sunk in battle.

[Head knight of Ni]

The battle of Britain.
The flying tigers.
Patton's false invasion force.
The misquito bomber.
Czech armory worker's spiteful workmanship.

[Jeffy-CanCon]

The Battle of Britain is an epic story that should live on through history in the same way that Marathon & Thermopolae have so long outlasted the ancient Greek civilization.

Midway is also a cool story, mainly for the sheer blind luck involved in the sinking of the Japanese carriers.

What I was thinking was of smaller stories, small unit exploits or humourous experiences you've read or heard about. My favourite is a story I found in the autobiography of an RCAF Lancaster pilot, who recounted a tale from his squadron's intel log.

After a raid, the Intel Officer was debriefing a rear gunner...
IO - did you see any enemy aircraft?
RG - Yeah, I saw an Me110.
IO - Really?! How close did it get?
RG - About 100ft.
IO - Did the Me110 open fire?
RG - No.
IO - Did you open fire?
RG - No.
IO - For God's sake man, why not?
RG - I figured he was just trying to get his thirty trips in, same as I was.

[Fred]

My Great Grandfather, leaving the safety of Switzerland (and the rest of my family) to travel alone with no money across the lines into Yugoslavia to rescue my great-aunt and her kids from a Concentration camp... and returning with her unscathed... to smuggle them all further west until they could get passage to the U.S.

He died before my dad graduated high school, the aunt in question has advanced alzheimers, and her kids starved in her lap before my ggf got her out... the details of the story might be lost forever, but I've started researching the family history to try and find out as much as I can to share with future generations...

---Fred

[Head knight of Ni]

A couple of US soldiers were advancing up a beach head when they ended up near a medic. The medic was working on a soldier with a head wound, a bullet hole in his forehead. The soldiers tell the medic he's beating a dead horse the man's already dead. Not a second later the wounded soldier barks "the hell I am." the bullet had gone in and out just grazing the skull.

[RoadDawg]

My favorite part was knowing how close the Japanese were to having a kick butt jet plane that would have moped the skies. In fact if it wasn't for the Germans surrendering, they would have gotten it, it was on a german sub just past Africa (I think) when the surrender was official and all subs were ordered to give up.

2nd fav... the tuskagee airman story.

[Kevmaster]

they also build subs to be aircraft carriers....just to attack the panama canal...but the war ended just days before they were ging to blow her

[Kevmaster]

My Great Grandfather, leaving the safety of Switzerland (and the rest of my family) to travel alone with no money across the lines into Yugoslavia to rescue my great-aunt and her kids from a Concentration camp... and returning with her unscathed... to smuggle them all further west until they could get passage to the U.S.

He died before my dad graduated high school, the aunt in question has advanced alzheimers, and her kids starved in her lap before my ggf got her out... the details of the story might be lost forever, but I've started researching the family history to try and find out as much as I can to share with future generations...

---Fred

i think you should write the book man. i'd buy it

[MicroMiniMe]

Well before Pearl Harbor, there were a small number of Japanese that witnessed the US air raid one of Italy's prime military ports. The US blew up all of the navy that was in port. The observers left, for safety or they though the attack was done. But the US fighters came right back, second wave or rearmed, and finished off the port, destroying all the fuel and supplies and just FUBARed the whole port..

This was the inspiration for the Jananese plan for Pearl Harbor. Its been mentioned, if the Japanese had come right back after rearming and torched the port fully like the US did Italy, we would have been set back many many months more in the Pacific.