Liking WW2

[Edbert1]

Originally posted by Curval
Sgt. Rock comics got me interested in WW2.

Chicken --- Egg (for me)

I loved the OAAW series of which Sgt Rock was a spin-off. I had 294 of the first 300 issues of the series, my mom threw them out while I was in college

They would not be worth as much as the superhero ones are but they were worth more than that to me...sniff.

[mars01]

I was 6 or 7, my dad took the family to the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome for the show.  I fell in love with airplanes and forever dreamt of flying.

A few years later I found this game on a friends mac, that let you expieriance flying.  MS Flight Sim or Something LOL.  It was all wire frame still.  It took me all night to learn the controls.  Mind you I had no manual and just hunt an pecked for controls and keys.  My friend didn't even know it was on there LOL.  But I got it flying LOL.

Then came Jet, then Aces of the Pacific.

The best airplanes evah, Greatest Generation, Last World War  = WWII.

The rest is history.

[Jake54]

Originally posted by Flyboy
in 2nd grade i had an hernia oporation, when i was lying in bed at home a friend  bought me a plastic model plane, think that was the trigger.
exept that i was always interested in history, esp. wars.

That was very kind =) when I had me appendix taken out I got a toy biplane.

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by Charge
"Because chicks in this era wore them H. O. T. stockings with the seam up the back. Why else?"

Oh yeah!

http://www.skylighters.org/sweethearts/bgindex.html
http://www.skylighters.org/photos/pinups.html

-C+

Woot! Cool site. Thanks bud.

[scottydawg]

Originally posted by Mustaine
You know the problem with being smart? You always know what will happen next. It ruins the suspense.
- (name the character for a prize)

Bandits
Billy Bob Thornton, playing Terry Lee Collins.

[Simaril]

Originally posted by eh

...snip...

I haven't read much about Japanese pilots though. Any suggestions?

Samurai by Sabura Sakai

Midway by Mitsuo Fuchida and others

[eh]

Thanks simaril!

[Guppy35]

Read the book pictured below when I was in 2nd grade, which is about 40 years ago now.  I think mine was the only name in it to check it out over and over again.  Bong, Lynch, McGuire, Gentile, Godfrey, Blakslee, Zemke, Mahurin, Johnson, Boyington, Scott.....the list goes on and on.

I was absolutely hooked and it's been an obsession ever since.  The fact that "Combat" and 12 O'Clock High" were both on TV at the time didn't hurt either

[Simaril]

Guppy,

You gave me major flashbacks there...havent thought abou those books in decades.

I can still see the little library room in my elementary school. must have been 71-72. There was a book with the same format about naval heroes of WW2, or famous ships, or something....cant find the title. One of the chapters was "Hit 'em again, Harder!" about the Gato class USS HArder...musta checked that out a dozen times. LArger than life stories, presented like Knights of the Round Table.

Then we went to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, and that was it.

I devoured every book I could find, like Samurai and Baa Baa Black Sheep. War movies Saturdays. I remember the 12 O'Clock High series reruns, Vic Morrow in COMBAT, and later Baa Baa Black Sheep on TV. Got back to Dayton several more times in school, and when older was captivated by "High Flight" ("...I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced among the clouds with laughter silvered wings....")


Now at family get togethers, my brother and I arent allowed to sit near each other because we'll be lost in our aviation world the whole time....

[Edbert1]

I read a book called "Duel For The Sky" in 2nd grade...about 100 times...dealt with all theaters but the stories of Blaksley/Gentile/Johnson are the ones that stuck with me the most...was in the school library...1971 sounds about right.

[Guppy35]

Originally posted by Simaril
Guppy,

You gave me major flashbacks there...havent thought abou those books in decades.

I can still see the little library room in my elementary school. must have been 71-72. There was a book with the same format about naval heroes of WW2, or famous ships, or something....cant find the title. One of the chapters was "Hit 'em again, Harder!" about the Gato class USS HArder...musta checked that out a dozen times. LArger than life stories, presented like Knights of the Round Table.

Then we went to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, and that was it.

I devoured every book I could find, like Samurai and Baa Baa Black Sheep. War movies Saturdays. I remember the 12 O'Clock High series reruns, Vic Morrow in COMBAT, and later Baa Baa Black Sheep on TV. Got back to Dayton several more times in school, and when older was captivated by "High Flight" ("...I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced among the clouds with laughter silvered wings....")


Now at family get togethers, my brother and I arent allowed to sit near each other because we'll be lost in our aviation world the whole time....

This might give you another flashback then.  Took me years to track down a copy.  This was the other book that I couldn't check out enough.  First introduced me to Bert Stiles with the bits of "Serenade to the Big Bird" in it.  First color photo I'd seen of a 91st BG B17 in it.  Lots of artwork with 4th FG Mustangs, B17s, B24s etc.  First exposure to "Brewery Wagon" and the B24s of Ploesti.  All kinds of photos and stories.  It was a gold mine for a kid in the late 60s fascinated with WW2 aviation.

[Cooley]

Pops was a sub  lt. commander chasing Boomers around Cuba in the sixties
and was sister ship of the Scorpion for those that know that story
and step father was Air Force pilot,,,and then owned a ferry pilot business
and both very into Military History,,,so i grew up around it

I loved watching WW2 movies as a kid back in the 70's

Studied WW2 aircraft and Navy Ships alot and also went to many air shows

when i started meeting Vets i got even more into it
one of the things right now that i really enjoy is flying Vernon Truemper's
367th P-47-40 skin in the game
since ive corasponded with him many times via email.

btw...367th flew 38J's and Jug D40's ,,,,and they all hated the 38 too
mainly cause so many got hurt or killed trying to bail out

[dhaus]

My father was an early radar guy in the Army Air Corp (ROTC/electrical engineer) and became radar officer in B-17/B-24 squadron in England.  That got me interested enough to read "Wingleader" by Johnny Johnson, and "Thunderbolt!" by Robert Johnson as a kid.  The cover above about the air war against Hitler strikes vague memories - I know I've read that.  To find Air Warrior was a dream come true - I went into withdrawal when EA screwed us over.  Then FBScud clued me into Aces High and I'm back on the crack.

[DYNAMITE]

I got interested in WW2 aviation because my grandfather is a WW2 veteran (13th AF, 5 Bomber Group, 394th Squadron).
He was a bombardier in B-24's fighting in the South Pacific.  Looking at his old photo's... talking to him about his experience... and trying my best to understand more about what his life was like...That's why I'm here.

That, and I love hearing ghi screeming "VOOLCH VOOLCH!!!" on the range vox




(Two of the birds my Pop-pop flew in can be seen below, Two-Time and Red Headed Woman... Thank you for your service Pop!)

[Debonair]

Originally posted by Simaril
Samurai by Sabura Sakai

Midway by Mitsuo Fuchida and others

I Was A Kamikaze also a good book.
learn how to survive a suicide mission & what goes through the head of that kind of guy.
maybe some valuable insight in there...