You know, it never ceases to amaze me how we percieve war heroes depending on what our nationality is.
Pappy Boyington for instance. Really, he was a drunk and habitual liar. He claimed kills sight unseen, but because America needed a hero...well....say no more.
RTR... Really, you should quit watching those old episodes of the "Blacksheep Squadron".... They were TOTAL BS!!!
The Blacksheep were NOT, scotch swillin, fist fightin, nurse chasin, boobs... About as far from it as can be gotten!!!
Boyington, was actually a hardnosed disciplinarian... As would be expected of a China Marine...
USMC, would never put up with that BS even now... A USMC/NAVY officer, can have you thrown in the brig for sneezing
if they want to.. And that is NO BS!!! But in those days, things were far tougher, you'd get HUNG, for behavior that
you describe in time of war.. Or thrown in Portsmouth to rot, until noone even remembered that you exist at all...
"They needed a hero"?? HAH, at that time, there were PLENTY of choose from!!!
As far as the Stalinist Regime lieing about VZ, they very well could have!!! (I personally don't think so) BUT???
They spun such MASSIVE BS, about so much, for so many years.. That any info from that era is ALWAYS suspect!!!
RC