Anything Goes 30: Topicality Not Found

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x Tame Impala

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Semi-on topic, but I'm going to Hawaii in a few months and am really looking forward to seeing the USS Arizona and Missouri tours. Everything I've heard about it makes it seem like it'll be one of the more heartbreaking and awe-inspiring things you can see.
 
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Blue Liner

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8th air force. the bombing of Germany and what 25 flights each plane needs to make ?

Yeah they had the first bomber group to reach 25 missions completed (Hell's Angels) and I believe they finished with 40 something before being sent back home to do PR tours. The 8th Air Force had a number of distinctions and feats accomplished, which I'm guessing is why they focused this series on them.

The average bomber group only completed 11 missions in WWII, to give that perspective.
 

BK

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Semi-on topic, but I'm going to Hawaii in a few months and am really looking forward to seeing the USS Arizona and Missouri tours. Everything I've heard about it makes it seem like it'll be one of the more heartbreaking and awe-inspiring things you can see.

Have fun!

I might be the only person on earth that has no urge to ever go to Hawaii (except people from Hawaii).
 

Teemu

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Semi-on topic, but I'm going to Hawaii in a few months and am really looking forward to seeing the USS Arizona and Missouri tours. Everything I've heard about it makes it seem like it'll be one of the more heartbreaking and awe-inspiring things you can see.
When I went, there was a brief shower and then a brilliant rainbow that perfectly straddled the harbor. You know its something cool when all of the tour guides stop to take pictures.
 
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LDF

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Yeah they had the first bomber group to reach 25 missions completed (Hell's Angels) and I believe they finished with 40 something before being sent back home to do PR tours. The 8th Air Force had a number of distinctions and feats accomplished, which I'm guessing is why they focused this series on them.

The average bomber group only completed 11 missions in WWII, to give that perspective.
well coming from a large family, many of which served in ww2, i had a uncle who wounded up with a metal plate in his head. ruining his civilian boxing career. the english and british bombing group under spaatz and harris really had a hard time giving up their power. b/c of my family i followed ww2 alot. my other uncle served in bataan and was in that bataan death march.

i just don't know of this series. bombing group ..... i can see the action over germany and the nerves of fighting the germans air force ...... oh well got to wait and see.
 
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LDF

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Semi-on topic, but I'm going to Hawaii in a few months and am really looking forward to seeing the USS Arizona and Missouri tours. Everything I've heard about it makes it seem like it'll be one of the more heartbreaking and awe-inspiring things you can see.
it is and will always be a very solemn moment of your memory, as it was mine and even till today.
 

Blue Liner

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well coming from a large family, many of which served in ww2, i had a uncle who wounded up with a metal plate in his head. ruining his civilian boxing career. the english and british bombing group under spaatz and harris really had a hard time giving up their power. b/c of my family i followed ww2 alot. my other uncle served in bataan and was in that bataan death march.

i just don't know of this series. bombing group ..... i can see the action over germany and the nerves of fighting the germans air force ...... oh well got to wait and see.

Interesting stuff. My grandfather was also in the Philippines but thankfully not Bataan. My other grandfather wound up in Japan post-atom bombs toward the end of the war. He was 16...lied about his age so he could enlist. Didn't see any action but was part of operations over there near the end. My great uncles all served as well but I don't know the details of where or what they did. They were all on my mother's side and my grandmother was the last of the family alive and she passed a few years ago. Would like to learn more about them.
 

No Fun Shogun

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One of my bigger regrets was not talking to my grandpa about his WWII experience before he passed away. From what I've been able to gather, he was in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines during the war, so I'm sure that he had more this far share of fascinating and horrific stories, and probably the latter as he apparently almost never spoke about it at any point to anyone.

On the other end of the spectrum, I had a great uncle that bragged that during the war, not a single Japanese Zero got past his anti-aircraft gun at any point. Yup, he kept his army base near Omaha, Nebraska nice and safe.
 
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LDF

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Interesting stuff. My grandfather was also in the Philippines but thankfully not Bataan. My other grandfather wound up in Japan post-atom bombs toward the end of the war. He was 16...lied about his age so he could enlist. Didn't see any action but was part of operations over there near the end. My great uncles all served as well but I don't know the details of where or what they did. They were all on my mother's side and my grandmother was the last of the family alive and she passed a few years ago. Would like to learn more about them.
same here, with my father and on his side, there were only a couple from the tribe that join the army. thing is in fort sam houston in tx, there is where he met my mother. now on my mother side, i had many family members in the military. remember back then men, in order to work joined the military. the depression and all that.

none of them would ever talk about the war. my father was on the 2 wave on d-day. so in order to know more, i had to read about it.

same thing with the younger uncles who served in Korea war. they hated the winter march and retreat.

war is a f*** up situation.
 

LDF

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One of my bigger regrets was not talking to my grandpa about his WWII experience before he passed away. From what I've been able to gather, he was in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines during the war, so I'm sure that he had more this far share of fascinating and horrific stories, and probably the latter as he apparently almost never spoke about it at any point to anyone.

On the other end of the spectrum, I had a great uncle that bragged that during the war, not a single Japanese Zero got past his anti-aircraft gun at any point. Yup, he kept his army base near Omaha, Nebraska nice and safe.
wow, the solmon's that was a wicked experience.

everybody always called the battle midway as the turning point for the battle of the pacific. i always disagree. i always thought the battle for Guadalcanal was the turning point. there was this marine there who was a 2x medal of honor and he could have gotten 1 more. but congress said no.
 

ChiHawks10

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One of my bigger regrets was not talking to my grandpa about his WWII experience before he passed away. From what I've been able to gather, he was in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, and the Philippines during the war, so I'm sure that he had more this far share of fascinating and horrific stories, and probably the latter as he apparently almost never spoke about it at any point to anyone.

On the other end of the spectrum, I had a great uncle that bragged that during the war, not a single Japanese Zero got past his anti-aircraft gun at any point. Yup, he kept his army base near Omaha, Nebraska nice and safe.

I agree. In my defense, despite being a huge history buff(and war history in particular), he passed away at like 61, when I was probably about 9 or 10 years old. So I didn't really even think to ask. I do know that he was a chef on a destroyer or cruiser, and also manned an AA gun. I also know that the guy manning the AA gun next to him was killed. And that he met my Grandma in England and brought her back over here with him after the war. Other than that, I know very little about where he was, and what he did during the war.
 

LDF

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I agree. In my defense, despite being a huge history buff(and war history in particular), he passed away at like 61, when I was probably about 9 or 10 years old. So I didn't really even think to ask. I do know that he was a chef on a destroyer or cruiser, and also manned an AA gun. I also know that the guy manning the AA gun next to him was killed. And that he met my Grandma in England and brought her back over here with him after the war. Other than that, I know very little about where he was, and what he did during the war.
excellent story .... a happy true story in a really tough times. can any imagine, there are over 1 million stories and countless more that i am not even thinking of. wow!!!!

it is here that i have hope for this air force movie.
 

ChiHawks10

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wow, the solmon's that was a wicked experience.

everybody always called the battle midway as the turning point for the battle of the pacific. i always disagree. i always thought the battle for Guadalcanal was the turning point. there was this marine there who was a 2x medal of honor and he could have gotten 1 more. but congress said no.

Guadalcanal was a big turning point. It gave the Allies a huge advantage in regards to air superiority over there. And kept the lines open between Australia and the U.S.
 

No Fun Shogun

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It's tough to say, but I think I agree with Midway as the turning point as it inherently flipped the initiative in the Pacific. That's the moment where the Japanese just didn't have the industrial capacity to replace their maritime losses anymore whereas our fleet was getting bigger and bigger and bigger with each passing month no matter what the Japanese did. That industrial disparity and the fact that the Japanese were spread far, far too thin in the Pacific and Asia meant that we were able to press the advantage everywhere, completely bypass major Japanese strongholds, and bring the fight to Japan itself.

After Midway, it wasn't an issue of if we'd win in the Pacific but how long it would take and how costly it'd be to both sides.
 

LDF

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Guadalcanal was a big turning point. It gave the Allies a huge advantage in regards to air superiority over there. And kept the lines open between Australia and the U.S.
and that constant naval fight wow. there was a point in the enterprise series, there were 2 battleships told his escorts to move aside there are coming thru..... 2 battle ships in a night time battle with the japanese naval.

dang, i think i am going to watch that whole thing. how bout the battle of leyette gulf.
 

LDF

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It's tough to say, but I think I agree with Midway as the turning point as it inherently flipped the initiative in the Pacific. That's the moment where the Japanese just didn't have the industrial capacity to replace their maritime losses anymore whereas our fleet was getting bigger and bigger and bigger with each passing month no matter what the Japanese did. That industrial disparity and the fact that the Japanese were spread far, far too thin in the Pacific and Asia meant that we were able to press the advantage everywhere, completely bypass major Japanese strongholds, and bring the fight to Japan itself.

After Midway, it wasn't an issue of if we'd win in the Pacific but how long it would take and how costly it'd be to both sides.
good point. but what is still amazing is a nation the size of Cali wanting to take on the size of America ??
 

ChiHawks10

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and that constant naval fight wow. there was a point in the enterprise series, there were 2 battleships told his escorts to move aside there are coming thru..... 2 battle ships in a night time battle with the japanese naval.

dang, i think i am going to watch that whole thing. how bout the battle of leyette gulf.

Both sides took huge naval losses during Guadalcanal, from what I remember reading about it. But the Japanese lost the majority of their elite naval aviators, which would prove to be a huge impact. They literally had no chance to protect themselves from the US counter-offensive after Guadalcanal.

I think they lost something like 20k troops to the US's 2000 or so also.

Guadalcanal should definitely have serious consideration for the turning-point in the Pacific theater.
 

No Fun Shogun

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good point. but what is still amazing is a nation the size of Cali wanting to take on the size of America ??

From a policy standing perspective, I could understand underestimating the U.S. At that point, aside from relatively limited engagements versus a decayed Spanish Empire and a very poorly managed expeditionary force to Europe in WWI, our experience supporting massive armies and navies internationally was next to nothing. Meanwhile, Japan had a massive navy and a huge army of combat-hardened veterans. Their hope was that they could inflict such massive losses on the Pacific Fleet, take over such a huge swath of oceanic territory in the Pacific, and put the United States into a situation where a declaration of war would be a two ocean fight for us that the daunting task ahead of us would've been too great to even imagine.

That being said, once we started ramping up, the war was over for all intents and purposes in the Pacific.

WWII is an odd war in the sense that effectively the Axis had lost by 1943, but they were able to drag it on for another 2+ years.
 
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LDF

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Both sides took huge naval losses during Guadalcanal, from what I remember reading about it. But the Japanese lost the majority of their elite naval aviators, which would prove to be a huge impact. They literally had no chance to protect themselves from the US counter-offensive after Guadalcanal.
yeah and then around the leyette gulf battle the next wave of american navy ships and battleships was leaving San Diego heading to the pacific.

but ref to your post, that is why i keep saying it was this 6-8 month battle that was the turning point of the war.
 
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ChiHawks10

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yeah and then around the leyette gulf battle the next wave of american navy was leaving San Diego heading to the pacific.

but ref to your post, that is why i keep saying it was this 6-8 month battle that was the turning point of the war.

At the very least, the war in the Pacific.
 
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