70th Anniversary of the end of WWII on May 8, 2015

[HarmanKardon]

The left picture shows American troops and an old German woman. The right picture shows GI's with German kids. These two pictures express the situation in 1945. The old Nazi generation declined, but the young generation was already there, ready to take over the future of a modern democratic Germany.

Supreme Commander Eisenhower: "The children and the grandchildren of the world must live and can live!"

May all victims of this most cruel war in human history may rest in peace.

[JJIII]

Those were terrible times. I wish the world had learned more about how to get along.

[HarmanKardon]

Sadly true.

[finnbow]

My dearest German friend (now deceased) was a young boy when American GI's came through his hometown of Hameln (home of the Pied Piper). Propaganda had led him to believe that GI's were blood-thirsty animals and he was shocked and pleased when they came into his town distributing chocolate bars to the kids. It's something he never forgot.

FWIW, WWII didn't end until Sep 2, when Japan surrendered. May 8 was "VE Day" (Victory in Europe). There was still lots of fighting in the Pacific theater after May 8. The battle for Okinawa didn't end until mid-June at the cost of nearly 300,000 casualties among American and Japanese service members and Japanese civilians. Then, of course, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki followed.

[HarmanKardon]

As always, you know everything better, sir. I'm fed up with you. Of course I mean the end of the war in Europe.

[Tom Joad]

Now this is what you call hardcore.


http://www.badassoftheweek.com/onoda.html

Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Japanese Imperial Army's Intelligence Division was sent to the Philippine Island of Lubang in 1944 with a top-secret mission - to stay out of sight, collect information on Allied troop movements on the island, launch guerilla attacks, disrupt the enemy and generally just be completely fucking nuts. He took this mission so seriously that he ended up fighting for his life well after everyone else had called it a day and went home. If the delicate line between insanity and badassitude is measured by determination, then Lt. Hiroo is probably high in the running for being one of the most badassed men of World War II.

Onoda and his small, elite four-man reconnaissance team were initially tasked with exploding the airfield and pier on the island, but not long after they deployed the entire Philippines was overrun by American forces. Onoda's men managed to elude capture and retreat back into the dense jungles on the outskirts of the island, where they were forced to live off of the land to avoid detection by enemy scouts and patrols looking to shove their guns up some Japanese asses. From this super-secret base of death, destruction and mayhem, Onodo and his men conducted lightning raids against the occupying armies, engaging in numerous gun battles with U.S. troops garrisoned on the island as well as the local Filipino police force. They survived on rice, coconuts and bananas foraged from the underbrush, and occasionally made daring night raids into town to steal beer and other supplies from peoples' outdoor fridges.


On 10 March 1975, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda came out of the jungle wearing his immaculately-kept full military dress uniform and surrendered his sword to Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos.

[Boreas]

FWIW, WWII didn't end until Sep 2, when Japan surrendered. May 8 was "VE Day" (Victory in Europe)

It's easy for a Continental European to think of 8 May 1945 as the end of the war because, for them, the war did indeed end on that day.

Except for the Russians, of course. They actually began hostilities against Japan in August of 1945 which continued for a time after 2 September.

[HarmanKardon]

Stupid little hillbilly from the Black Forest is ACTUALLY familiar with the (pacific) war in Japan and he knows about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hear hear... :eek:

[Dondilion]

As always, you know everything better, sir. I'm fed up with you. Of course I mean the end of the war in Europe.

Relax!

Finn is given valuable information concerning continuation of WW11 in Manchuria. You did not specify European theater.

[Boreas]

Relax!

Finn is given valuable information concerning continuation of WW11 in Manchuria.

Actually, that was me.:)

The thing to remember is one's frame of reference. For Chris and for other Europeans May 8th 1945 is a profoundly important date. Its significance really can't be underestimated. September 2nd, on the other hand, carries much less importance with regard to their past, present and future.

[JJIII]

Stupid little hillbilly from the Black Forest is ACTUALLY familiar with the (pacific) war in Japan and he knows about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hear hear... :eek:

Calm down Chris.:)

[finnbow]

Actually, that was me.:)

The thing to remember is one's frame of reference. For Chris and for other Europeans May 8th 1945 1 is a profoundly important date. Its significance really can't be underestimated. September 2nd, on the other hand, carries much less importance with regard to their past, present and future.

My post wasn't intended as an insult or slight to Chris. It was intended to reflect how different countries view their participation/contribution/heroism/culpability in WWII. For Americans, the losses in both theaters were roughly equal (Europe - 213,407, Pacific - 162,525) and about half of Pacific Theater causalities occurred in the Battle of Okinawa which wasn't over until over a month after VE Day.

[HarmanKardon]

5 weeks after...

All I can say is that it was a big big mistake to start this memorial thread. Okay then... learning by doing...

Cheers

[donquixote99]

If I may, I'll suggest the mistake was expecting whatever you expected from it, and continuing to be somewhat bitter that you didn't get it.

The topic clearly carries some emotional freight for you that is hard for us to 'get.' There are no pictures of conquering troops on our streets, mingling with our women and children....

[HarmanKardon]

You got it, thanks.