Patton Mercury

[GB SISSON]

[QUOTE=Graeme / New Zealand;1378110]snappydon I stand corrected on the handles you are right. McArthur whether "dugout doug" or " bugout doug", it was for the same reason. He will never be forgiven because of Bataan.

When I'm not working, posting here or working on my old fords, I'm reading on WW2. That's the one Dobie Gillis' dad called 'the big one'. My dad was in the Army air corps in Europe and I've had two father in laws. They both fought in the Pacific and the subject rarely came up in conversation. 'The Greatest Generation'. Hands down in my mind.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

[QUOTE=GB SISSON;1378119]

Originally Posted by Graeme / New Zealand

snappydon I stand corrected on the handles you are right. McArthur whether "dugout doug" or " bugout doug", it was for the same reason. He will never be forgiven because of Bataan.

When I'm not working, posting here or working on my old fords, I'm reading on WW2. That's the one Dobie Gillis' dad called 'the big one'. My dad was in the Army air corps in Europe and I've had two father in laws. They both fought in the Pacific and the subject rarely came up in conversation. 'The Greatest Generation'. Hands down in my mind.

.

GB same here ...both World conflicts. Just finished reading a book on Passchendaele. Hard to imagine the youth of today who wear the crotches of their trousers down to the ground with cap on backwards, atop a scateboard or those that play x box or Playstation all day, doing what their generation did at their age 70 to 75 rears ago.

Graeme

[Lawrie]

Graeme, you want to go and see Pashendale, both my g/fathers fought there and survived, we spent a week there last year.VERY moving when you learn the number of casualties there.
Lawrie

[fotfod]

[QUOTE=GB SISSON;1378119]

Originally Posted by Graeme / New Zealand

snappydon I stand corrected on the handles you are right. McArthur whether "dugout doug" or " bugout doug", it was for the same reason. He will never be forgiven because of Bataan.

When I'm not working, posting here or working on my old fords, I'm reading on WW2. That's the one Dobie Gillis' dad called 'the big one'. My dad was in the Army air corps in Europe and I've had two father in laws. They both fought in the Pacific and the subject rarely came up in conversation. 'The Greatest Generation'. Hands down in my mind.

i dont remember dobie gillis father saying that, but archie bunker said that was the big one a
lot

[RalphG]

[QUOTE=fotfod;1378136]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

i dont remember dobie gillis father saying that, but archie bunker said that was the big one a
lot

Archie Bunker is who I recall using that expression. I believe he was a veteran of "WWII, the big one"

[Milt/Las Vegas]

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Originally Posted by Graeme / New Zealand

snappydon I stand corrected on the handles you are right. McArthur whether "dugout doug" or " bugout doug", it was for the same reason. He will never be forgiven because of Bataan.

We have some nut case generals now Wes Clark comes to mind.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by Lawrie

Graeme, you want to go and see Pashendale, both my g/fathers fought there and survived, we spent a week there last year.VERY moving when you learn the number of casualties there.
Lawrie

Yes Lawrie I plan to in the next couple of years to do a tour of the battlefields of both conflicts. They have just errected a statue here in NZ in tribute to one of our blokes "shot" by the British for so called "cowardice" because he was shell shocked. I admire the Aussies stand when they tried to the same to some of their boys, they told the poms to "bugger off" and did not allow it to happen.

GB

[ford38v8]

I sometimes wonder at the degree to which those whose home is in the South Pacific read and study about WWII...Then I remember that while we here in the States enjoyed full employment for the war effort, after the initial attack on Pearl, the war to us was never again as close as it was for those Down Under for the entire duration of the war.
My father, too old to serve, was employed making bomb casings, working seven days a week for months at a time. He had a single Sunday off, and a pocket full of money to spend on furniture, but no retailers were open on Sunday. He was able to phone a store owner in San Francisco, who met him and opened his store just for him. I was too young to remember that, but my mother never tired of recanting the story!
I'm sure there are those in the South Pacific whose WWII memories are considerably more personal than mine.

[fotfod]

[QUOTE=RalphG;1378235]

Originally Posted by fotfod

Archie Bunker is who I recall using that expression. I believe he was a veteran of "WWII, the big one"

archie was bragging he was wounded during the big one until edith told everybody he got shot in the rump

[woodiewagon46]

Just finished reading "Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Reilly. Talks a great deal about the Pacific War including McArthur and Oppenheimer. I wouldn't call Patton a "nut case". He was military all the way and if left alone he would have marched east, right thru Russia.

[snappydon]

Originally Posted by woodiewagon46

Just finished reading "Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Reilly. Talks a great deal about the Pacific War including McArthur and Oppenheimer. I wouldn't call Patton a "nut case". He was military all the way and if left alone he would have marched east, right thru Russia.

I too, just finished "Killing the Rising Sun"...I found it quite enlightening and educational. Just like all the other "Killing" books he has written.

[russcc]

Patton was respected by his men, and feared by Hitler. At the daily German high command meeting, the first question was always, "where is Patton" What more could you ask. He was an excellent leader, whether it was commanding troops, or managing war torn post war Germany. We all have a some quirks, so what, he go the job done.

[flatford8]

Good posts... Thanks..... My Dad served in Morocco, Algiers, Italy and Austria. Didnt talk about it much..... mostly I remember him saying " I hope nobody else ever has to go through that"...... Mark

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by snappydon

I too, just finished "Killing the Rising Sun"...I found it quite enlightening and educational. Just like all the other "Killing" books he has written.

As for me, I got it last week. I'm 2/3 of the way through it and it's excellent. I never get tired of reading about 'The Big One'.

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by flatford8

Good posts... Thanks..... My Dad served in Morocco, Algiers, Italy and Austria. Didnt talk about it much..... mostly I remember him saying " I hope nobody else ever has to go through that"...... Mark

Some of my dad's first experience with flathead Fords was training in the Canadian army driving CMP (army trucks, gun towing vehicles etc. In Canada and Britain. Later in Normandy. Somewhere I have a photo of him standing in front of a 1940 Ford woody wagon.

[Graeme / New Zealand]

Originally Posted by ford38v8

I sometimes wonder at the degree to which those whose home is in the South Pacific read and study about WWII...Then I remember that while we here in the States enjoyed full employment for the war effort, after the initial attack on Pearl, the war to us was never again as close as it was for those Down Under for the entire duration of the war.
My father, too old to serve, was employed making bomb casings, working seven days a week for months at a time. He had a single Sunday off, and a pocket full of money to spend on furniture, but no retailers were open on Sunday. He was able to phone a store owner in San Francisco, who met him and opened his store just for him. I was too young to remember that, but my mother never tired of recanting the story!
I'm sure there are those in the South Pacific whose WWII memories are considerably more personal than mine.

.

We were in the war from day 1 being part of what was the British Empire in those days, where Great Britain went NZ went and so did Australia. We had troops committed to the Middle East when Japan attacked, many down here felt we should be back home in the Pacific defending our back yard when this happened however the "masters" had us remain where we were. We will always be grateful for the US and the role they played down here. Eventually we did have millitary in the Pacific, mainly airforce. The USMC trained here and used us as a "jumping off point" for Guadalcanal. We were a backwater of western civilisation in those days due to our isolation and this was our introduction to " things American" eg Coca-Cola . We did have American cars already though because they handled the shitty roads here. The coming of the jet age "shrunk the world" for us. Now its even smaller with the world wide web.