VP Day 75th anniversary

Today in Australia and New Zealand is remembered as VP Day (or VJ Day according to some people) VP Day

Australia and New Zealand seem to be forgotten in the historical fight for freedom in WWII, but we were there; from RAF bomber crews over Germany, the Rats of Tobruk to the Kokoda Track and the audacious story of the Krait commandos **LINK**

The extreme act of war, the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan probably saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of allied lives (and even more Japanese lives) as an invasion of Japan would have been very costly and maybe dragged WWII out until 1947.

So today I think about my friend's uncle in New Guinea. She told me that because he was considered a brave warrior for sending many Japanese soldiers to their ancestors he was spared from a firing squad,

Instead his head was chopped off with a samurai sword.

Lest We Forget

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 15/08/2020 10:46:38

Lady I see on Fridays had 3 relatives taken prisoner in WW2, two to the Japanese and one to the Germans

All 3 were dead by 1960 from various abuses received in captivity

Eaten bread is soon forgotten !

People outside USA has been usefull idiots in the 1917 american masterplan of getting total dominance and right to exploit.

Apart from VietNam it has seen no real setbacks.

Is this forum the right place for worshipping defenders of Singapore,drowned in the Atlantic,Australians shoot i Galipolli. etc?

Well said Danny. These things need to be remembered by those of us who now enjoy the freedoms they bought for us.

Lest We Forget.

StephenS

Well, when you gaze into the shallow depth of the Gene pool, it must make them wonder Was it really worth it? Six years of history ( or four for some ) not to be forgotten. Sadly, this subject could go rabidly political but thanks to a caring generation who felt it their duty to stand up and be counted.

Regards Ian.

On Saturday night I had a surprise as halfway through the VJ celebration show my Dad's picture was projected on to the building on horse guards parade.

He was involved in a battle where he was one of 160 survivors from a battalion of 600 soldiers but they pushed the Japanese back for quite a long way. As they returned to base his picture was taken by an American war correspondent and was used on the cover of the official H M S O Burma campaign book.

John Austin George.

David

David, what a great photo, you must be very proud.

My uncle in law served in Gallipoli aged 15 and my father flew Wellingtons in WWII with a Polish RAF Squadron.

Lest we forget.

Yes that's a great old picture. He looks like quite the fellow.

My grandfather was a Lancaster and/or Wellington bomber pilot trainer in the RAF in WW2, at Caister just outside Cleethorpes/Grimsby, and spoke often of the Polish pilots he knew there.

But he was forever-after virulently anti-war and anti-war-memorialising. Would not have anything to do with Anzac Day or the Returned Services League. The result, I guess, of training 19-year-old lads for a job with a 3 month life expectancy. War is a terrible thing. Lest we forget.

Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still there are things worth fighting for.”
– General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

I always thought Stormin Norman was one of the good guys.