VE Day

[Benh76]

All ready for tomorrow


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[Velma's Dad]

Don't Mention The War. Doh.

 

[willwander]

Don't Mention The War. Doh.

You started it

 

[GrannyJen]

It's my birthday and I have a spitfire flying over my house at 12.30 .... How brilliant is that!

 

[Meoncoast]

I am thinking of c40,000 British civilians that died during WW2 and 30,000 + that have died in the last few months on our current home front.

 

[Vagophile]

It's my birthday and I have a spitfire flying over my house at 12.30 .... How brilliant is that!

Happy birthday. How many bottles of wine are scheduled for consumption?
I get the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster from Coningsby fly over at odd intervals if they are heading south for a display. I only need to drive a few miles up the road to watch the Red Arrows practice, but you need intel to know when it's happening.

 

[GrannyJen]

Happy birthday. How many bottles of wine are scheduled for consumption?
I get the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster from Coningsby fly over at odd intervals if they are heading south for a display. I only need to drive a few miles up the road to watch the Red Arrows practice, but you need intel to know when it's happening.

This one takes off from Goodwood at 12.30, flies down the coast over my house in East Preston to do a flypast over veteran care homes in Worthing, then probably over Ditchling to waggle its wings at Dame Vera before returning home.

It had been asked to do a dip over my house but I did have to say no, some of my neighbours would object to the noise ... Honest ....

 

[Vagophile]

My uncle was a rear gunner in a Lancaster. His plane was shot down over the French coast in (I think) 1942 and all the crew were killed. At the time, the precise location was not determined. I inherited, via my mother from her mother, my uncle's medals and the telegram telling my grandmother that he was missing, presumed dead.
A couple of years ago my brother decided to research the history of this event and went to northern France to enquire in the area where the plane was thought to be lost.Eventually, he found the location of the plane and when talking to the mayor of the small village nearby, was told that someone else had been researching the location recently. The mayor had the name and address of this person and my brother contacted them. Imagine our surprise to find that this person was researching on behalf of my uncle's daughter, a cousin that we never knew existed. The reason for that is a long story, but the upshot was that we gained a cousin and I was able to give my uncle's medals to their rightful custodian.

 

[Velma's Dad]

My father joined up in 1939 and was in Norway in 1940 as part of the abortive British campaign. His battalion force-marched 80 miles in 36 hours from Steinkjer through the snow, constantly harried by German artillery and ski troops, to reach an evacuation point at Namsos. (When boarding the ships prior to the operation, my Dad and his chums had believed they were being shipped to Finland to fight the Russians.)

After D Day he was in France with 30 Corps and took part in the vicious fighting in the Bocage countryside. Then in the attempted relief of the bridgehead at Arnhem, and finally in spring 1945 in the fighting in the Reichswald forest where his closest comrade was killed, I believe, in the final week of the war.

We remember them, those who suffered and died on both sides.

 

[clarinetbcn]

It's my birthday and I have a spitfire flying over my house at 12.30 .... How brilliant is that!

Happy birthday Jen. Thanks for your dedication to the forum and your entertaining, amusing, informative and thought provoking posts. ¡Por muchos años más!

 

[GrannyJen]

At this moment I remember my Mum, (biological, not my M.I.L. who sadly passed away 18 months ago).

A diminutive little woman who's photograph of her dressed in airforce blue adorned our sideboard for 50 years. The cross of Lorraine that stood beside it was something she mentioned in passing, about nursing free French during the war.

A daughter of French-settled Bedouin arabs, who's genes no doubt contributed to my wandering feet, she spoke fluent French even though English born and raised.

It took two files in her personal belongings found after she died, that cross of Lorraine and a cap badge to finally understand her service in the nursing yeomanry. As an historian I am used to those voices from the grave that never spoke in life but when it was my own Mum that in 2008 took me to Normandy, the IWM and an introduction to the archivists of the Ogilby Trust it was particularly emotional.

I wish to hell now I had spent less time as a juvenile delinquent and more time understanding my own Mum better.

 

[Mickyb123]

Think it’s a lesson for all of us. Talk and listen.
My dad, sadly no longer with us was reported presumed dead in Burma, turned up a month later on his mums doorstep In W Yorks after getting off the ship in Liverpool. What else he did during the war actually I don’t have a clue, My fault I didn’t ask him.
i have an uncle who was merchant navy got torpedoed on 5 different ships in N Atlantic, never made a big deal about it.
but again I never sat him down and asked him.
My mum drove ambulances during the war.
i Used to work with a guy that unbeknown to most of us had the VC
Different generation.
Shame the celebrations today have to be restricted.

hope some of the stories that come out today, might pique some interest in kids today to talk to there parents who maybe have done extraordinary and brave things in there lives.
A buddy of mine another holder of the VC awarded in Afghan wonder if his kids know why.

 

[Bellcrew]

My father joined up in 1939 and was in Norway in 1940 as part of the abortive British campaign. His battalion force-marched 80 miles in 36 hours from Steinkjer through the snow, constantly harried by German artillery and ski troops, to reach an evacuation point at Namsos. (When boarding the ships prior to the operation, my Dad and his chums had believed they were being shipped to Finland to fight the Russians.)

After D Day he was in France with 30 Corps and took part in the vicious fighting in the Bocage countryside. Then in the attempted relief of the bridgehead at Arnhem, and finally in spring 1945 in the fighting in the Reichswald forest where his closest comrade was killed, I believe, in the final week of the war.

We remember them, those who suffered and died on both sides.

My father served with the Irish Guards and had a very eventful war. After a successful campaign in Tunisia he went on to fight in the disaster at Anzio where many of his comrades were killed or wounded.
He was then transferred to a newly created battalion tasked to spearhead the advance through France and the low countries in the failed attempt to reach the bridge at Arnhem. The attack called the Battle of the Bulge was repulsed and then they eventually advanced into Northern Germany and ultimate victory.
He always described it like a football match, his team winning 4 to 2, against a formidable German army and considered himself very lucky to survive, he a radio operator often near the front line, was a prime target for snipers.
My generation and our children are so lucky to have inherited the peace created by the many fine people who sacrificed their young lives to bring the eventual victory, today marks another landmark in the gradually fading memory of such events.

 

[GrannyJen]

Happy birthday Jen. Thanks for your dedication to the forum and your entertaining, amusing, informative and thought provoking posts. ¡Por muchos años más!

Goodness! Thank youx

 

[Borris]

Happy birthday. How many bottles of wine are scheduled for consumption?
I get the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster from Coningsby fly over at odd intervals if they are heading south for a display. I only need to drive a few miles up the road to watch the Red Arrows practice, but you need intel to know when it's happening.

On fine days, where we live in Kent we have a Spitfire overhead sometimes as many as two or three times a day. The pilot must know someone nearby as he often does the odd bit gentle roll and/or tight turns as he returns to his base. It always thrills me when I hear the sound of a Rolls-Royce Merlin approaching.

These flights are carried out regularly in summer to carry paying passengers. The Spitfires used are two seater conversions. At least one of them saw service during the Battle of Britain. I believe they take off from High Halden or Biggin Hill and very often fly south along the White Cliffs past the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne near Folkestone. They often return to base right over our house. If your interested you'll need to give both arms and a leg to pay for a flight and after all that you're not allowed to shoot at anything.

 

[Vagophile]

On fine days, where we live in Kent we have a Spitfire overhead sometimes as many as two or three times a day. The pilot must know someone nearby as he often does the odd bit gentle roll and/or tight turns as he returns to his base. It always thrills me when I hear the sound of a Rolls-Royce Merlin approaching.

These flights are carried out regularly in summer to carry paying passengers. The Spitfires used are two seater conversions. At least one of them saw service during the Battle of Britain. I believe they take off from High Halden or Biggin Hill and very often fly south along the White Cliffs past the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne near Folkestone. They often return to base right over our house. If your interested you'll need to give both arms and a leg to pay for a flight and after all that you're not allowed to shoot at anything.

The Merlin engine definitely creates a spine tingling sound.

 

[Velma's Dad]

The Merlin engine definitely creates a spine tingling sound.

Better than any corny VE Day "songs we all loved" soundtrack

 

[Borris]

Better than any corny VE Day "songs we all loved" soundtrack

Gorgeous!

 

[Mickyb123]

Prefer the turbo charged version on the lanc

 

[Velma's Dad]

Plane engine noises make me very happy though.

 

[Mickyb123]

Without those wonderful engine noises quite likely there would not have been VE Day, so including the appreciation of the aircraft and folk that were involved in flying and keeping those airplanes flying is as much to do with VE Day as all the other stories and memories.
So can’t see any problem with celebrating part of that story, the sound of the merlin is memory invoking. Hence the flypasts involving those aircraft

 

[Mickyb123]

Actually they did, they fought and died exactly for that, so I had the freedom to enjoy those engine noises
what In your opinion did they fight for.
Just for transparency I have 30 plus years military service under my belt, and if in 75 years time someone chooses the sound of an RB 211 as something that helps them celebrate today’s military then that’s great in my book

 

[Amarillo]

My grandfather was a schoolmaster before the war. During the war he trained new recruits, only seeing action during the closing days of war as a Major during the botched Operation Market Garden, and then as part of the occupying force in northern Germany. Grandpa was based in Soest.

Below is an intelligence report found after he died. It highlights the difficulties in maintaining law and order immediately after the war, in particular problems with bands of Russian soldiers. However, the final section, Facts and Figures is the most interesting. Approximately 2,500 German civilians died 5 miles downstream after the RAF's bombing of the Mohne Dam, (a woeful overestimate and hopelessly inaccurate report, two years later, of forgotten casualties of the Dambusters raid). And 15 Russian soldiers died after an attempt to purify petrol into alcohol went tragically wrong.

Note: Kreis is a rural district within a German state, which will include market towns but not major cities.

 

[Mickyb123]

VE Day was the end of a conflict that was fought to preserve freedom. How someone chooses to remember and celebrate that day is up to them. More than one of us on here have chosen the sound of an iconic piece of equipment that was instrumental in the outcome of that conflict, pretty damn fine way of doing it as far as I can see.
So actually the comment suggesting that I shouldn’t choose the sound of the merlin or the sight of the Spit, lanc or Hurricane as my way of celebrating and enjoying the 75th above shows to be that you actually don’t understand why any of them did what they did.

 

[Mickyb123]

Russian soldiers in Berlin were given free reign to do as they wish for a number of days after the end of the war. Hence the unofficial name of the statue of the Russian soldier in central Berlin.
The allies sanctioned that decision allowing Russian soldiers a limited time to carry out revenge on the German populace.
WW2 was a turning point in modern warfare where civilians were deemed legitimate targets. By all involved!

War and armed conflict is never anything to be celebrated.
The ending of that conflict is what was being remembered today, importantly though we have the ability and right to remember it, in whatever way we choose, that’s what freedom is about.