World War II | Grumpa Joe's Place

Deception

Posted on 15/11/2024 by Grumpa Joe

Taylor Downing’s “The Army That Never Was” is a well-written book about how the British used deception to defeat Hitler’s army. By creating a fake army and then releasing information about it to double agents, Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and Montgomery were able to pull a series of fast ones on Hitler and his boys. I found this story interesting, and it kept me reading. Maybe it is because I remember so much about WWII from newspaper accounts and Pathe newsreels. The facts seemed to be revealing. I was only six years old at the time and could barely read anything beyond Dick and Jane primers, but somehow I began following the war through the pictures posted in our daily newspaper the Sun Times.

Back in the day, many of us got our information by going to the Saturday Matinees and saw episodes of battles shown in the newsreels. The featured Western films did little to inform us of the wars. They did, however, show us many shooting matches between the good guys and the bad guys of the open range. Compared to today’s you tube videos of battle the nineteen forties newsreel’s were tame. They were, however, effective in communicating messages about war. When I began reading this book, it triggered flashbacks of my childhood memories.

A new piece of history that I learned was that Eisenhower had to fire Patton several times during the war. Evidently, Patton had issues with soldiers who he thought did not fight. While visiting injured troops in hospitals he encountered soldiers who were not physically injured and wound up slapping them and accused them of being cowards. Another time he exhibited his hatred for jews while fighting against the Nazis who were slaughtering jews. Eisenhower regretted disciplining him, but had to do so. The commander also regarded Patton as one of the best generals in the army. After firing him the first time, Eisenhower put Patton in charge of the army that never was and Patton performed admirably.

Filed under: Book Review | Tagged: Eisenhower, Patton, World War II | Leave a comment »

Looking Into the Mirror

Posted on 25/06/2023 by Grumpa Joe

Today I completed reading The Last Train to London, by Meg Waite Clayton. It left me saddened. The title caught me when I first picked it up at the library, as do most of the books I read. The premise of this one is what I call historical fiction which by my definition it is a fictional story based on historical events.

The story is told through the eyes of a Dutch woman Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer who preferred to be called Tante Truus (Aunty Truus). She is responsible for rescuing ten thousand Jewish children from the Nazis during World War Two by transporting them to Holland and then to England between 1933 -1940. The story is beautiful and inspiring, but the ruthlessness of the Nazi regime that perpetrated their racism upon so many people made me sad.

Deep seated emotions of hatred were opened in my mind by remembering WWII and Nazi atrocities. War stories and news reels of the fighting taught me to hate all Germans and Japanese. It was a struggle to unlearn and reprogram my mind to believe that not all Germans were Nazis. A few years after the war ended my brother Bill was drafted into the army, and was sent to serve in Germany. He spent two years there in the peacetime reconstruction period. He wound up bringing home a German girl to marry. It was she who taught me to separate the average German citizen from the Nazi’s. I thank her for changing my mind.

When I watched our own American people terrorizing cities over the last couple of years with their “peaceful” protests it mirrors the action of the Nazis who “peacefully”(I use the term “peacefully” as sarcastically as possible) took over Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, and Holland with their “loving” treatment of the local citizens who dared resist. If one didn’t do and act as they were told they were shot, beaten, sent to work camps and treated like slaves. Violence, confiscation, and destruction of personal property, torture, and imprisonment were the order of the day. Of course Jews were the primary target, but so were non-jews who resisted or, God forbid, helped a Jew. The one difference between a Nazi demonstration and a BLM, ANTIFA, or George Floyd demonstration was the American protests were totally conducted by citizens, while the Nazis were done by the full German military.

No doubt, it will take me several days to get over this emotional reaction to a story, but I am glad I read it. The phrase “never again” becomes meaningful. The trouble as I see it, is that it has been eighty-five years since these atrocities took place, and there are not very many people remaining alive to be able to reawaken these emotions. It frightens me to think that it will take a new Nazi-like movement in America to reteach us the lessons of damage that can be done by perpetrating such racist hatred.

Filed under: Biography, Book Review, Education, family | Tagged: Adolph Eichmann, Geertruida Wijsmuller, Jewish Children, Kindertransport Association, Nazis, World War II | 3 Comments »

Another Piece of WWII

Posted on 04/04/2014 by Grumpa Joe

The Thursday night showing at the Stardust theater in Sun City West was “Heaven Knows Mr. Allison,” starring Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr. Filmed in 1957 the story is about a marine who drifts ashore on an island in the Pacific during WWII. He finds it occupied by a nun. The two get to know each other for several weeks before Japanese occupy the island. For some strange reason they leave just as suddenly as they came A few days later they return. The marine kills a soldier in the Japanese camp when the soldier finds him.. The Japanese then begin burning the island to find the enemy. The marine hides in a cave, but they find him. He is given a choice to come out or a hand grenade. An explosion occurs. It is not a grenade but a bomb. The USA began bombing the island and saved the day.

Peg and I agree that this is the best film we have seen at the Stardust theater. After looking it up, I learned that Ms Kerr received a nomination for best actress and the writers for best adaptation of a movie from another medium.

For some reason fate has made this winter a review of history for me. It began with “The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell,” followed by a story about a Mitchell B-26, a wonderful book called “Flyboys”, a live performance of “South Pacific” at the Palm theater in Mesa, and now “Heaven Knows Mr. Allison.”

Filed under: family, Movie Review, Warm and Fuzzy | Tagged: Deborah Kerr, Flyboys, History, Japanese, Nun, Robert Mitchum, South Pacific, Stardust Theater, World War II | Leave a comment »

Deep Seated Impressions

Posted on 26/03/2014 by Grumpa Joe

TRAINS

PLANES

MORE PLANES

AUTOMOBILES

A few years ago a movie called Trains, Planes, and Automobiles came out and caused me to laugh my butt off. I just finished reading a book titled “Fly Boys” by James Bradley. The story is about World War Two with Japan in the Pacific. I learned a lot reading this account. First, the history of Japan and its Emperor worship which eventually evolved into their samurai military. I learned that we won the war not with the atomic bomb, but by an endless assault of incendiary bombs on cities built of wooden buildings. We burned the Japs to death. The atomic bombs were just a more efficient method.

During my early years, I read daily news accounts of battles, defeats, and victories. On my paper route, I noticed flags hanging in windows with gold stars on them. I grew up during World War Two. I watched my parents become somber when FDR declared war after the Pearl Harbor attack. I saw families in our neighborhood mourn the loss of their sons. It had an effect on my psyche. I learned to hate the Japanese as well as the Germans, and Italians, but I had a special hatred for Japan. This hatred grew as I grew.

As a young adult when it came time to enter the business world this conflict grew. As an engineer and product designer I favored US made products over those of the inferior Japanese made ones. My Christianity continued to work on me and as my thoughts about heaven and the teachings of Jesus to love my neighbor as myself began to take root my hatred began to dissolve, slowly. By 1969, I opened my mind to Japanese made products and bought a Toyota Corolla. It only served to bolster my attitude about Jap-Crap. My kids were old enough to chastise me about my use of words and that also affected me. I tried like heck to transfer my hatred to them, but they were smarter than me and resisted. The Corolla and I lasted but two years together. It was the worst car I ever owned.

The years passed and my war against Japanese products waged. I preached American made to anyone who would listen. My friends bought Japanese made Toyotas, Hondas, and Datsuns. I lost the war when my three kids all bought Japanese made cars and loved them, but I kept telling myself that the price I paid for a good UAW made American car was worth it in patriotic pride. In 2006, I finally succumbed to the Japanese automakers. That came after studying their manufacturing methods and their zest for never-ending quality control. America finally woke up to the fact that Japanese manufacturing methods and quality systems were superior. American manufacturers were in catch-up mode. Our employers all scurried looking for the magic bullet that would allow them to compete. I came to believe in the Japanese system, not because it was Japanese but because it was American. They were smart enough to hire Joe Duran an American quality guru who couldn’t find an audience in America. The Japanese studied his system, and then embraced it. They implemented practices until it hurt, but it paid off. The result is a revolution in auto-making that has changed the world. They have won that war.

In 2006, I bought a Toyota Avalon which I so dearly have named the Death Star. It is the finest car I have ever owned. Then came “Flyboys.” Reading a history of the war with Japan in the detail in which author James Bradley tells has reawakened the deep-seated hatred within my heart. The atrocities committed by the Japanese during the war are hard to understand, but author Bradley explains the Japanese warrior psyche in detail and makes an attempt to rationalize their behavior. What is harder to take are the counter-atrocities we committed to beat them. Our methods were the best we could come up with. They were not pretty, but necessary. Japan’s determination was to take over China and the Pacific to expand their empire. They needed room to grow. Their population in the late nineteen thirties peaked at sixty million, and they lived on an island the size of California. Today, California has sixty-four million people and I think it is over populated.

Hopefully, this reawakened hatred will be short-lived as the memory of this narrative wears off. So, what does this have to do with my opening sentence, “A few years ago a movie called Trains, Planes, and Automobiles came out and caused me to laugh my butt off”? The answer is “nothing,” but my fascination with trains, planes and automobiles developed during this time frame. I grew up on a street one block away from a Nickel Plate RR line and I listened to and watched thousands of trains pass by carrying war materials. Airplanes of every type flew over head daily on the way to training fields and to missions in the Pacific, and automobile development stopped causing people to keep the cars they had, or to buy used 1930’s vintage models. To this day I love WWII airplanes, nineteen thirties hot rods, and steam engines.

Filed under: Biography, Book Review, family, Manufacturing, religion, Society | Tagged: Atrocities, Christianity, Datsun, FDR, Fly Boys, Hatred, Honda, Hot Rods, James Bradley, Japan, Jesus, Joe Duran, Nickel Plate RR, Pearl Harbor, Quality, Steam Locomotives, Toyota, World War II | Leave a comment »

Wisdom Galore

Posted on 10/11/2013 by Grumpa Joe

When growing up during World War II my immigrant parents often lectured me on the Democrat Party, “they are for the workin’ man” Dad would say. Then he and Mom went on living conservative lives despising the idea of getting “charity” from the government.