Forum Users Areas of Knowledge

[Martin Bull]

Originally Posted by Martin Bull

....and as for me : -

RAF Bomber Command
The Dam Busters
Battle of Britain
Arnhem
The Ardennes
Small Arms
Avro Lancaster / DH Mosquito

And another old thread surfaces...I quite liked this one, and it would be interesting to hear some of our newer members' areas of interest.

Looking back at my list, it's remained pretty much the same ( the interests vary in intensity, but they are always there ) with two main additions : -

The Tiger Tank
The Normandy Campaign.

[Kai-Petri]

Well, definitely over the years I´ve started reading about " the other side"

Malta
Grand Slam and Tall Boy
El Alamein
Operation Bagration

[The_Historian]

Everything on the British Home Front for me, also military archaeology.

[Von Poop]

Primarily materiel.
Used to be intrigued by just the articles themselves but now far more interested in the development processes that led to them as followed by Great Britain and Germany, and to a slightly lesser extent the US.

& Cameras.

Conversely, my greatest area of weakness is the Pacific fighting, It always intrigues me how our areas of knowledge are so often dictated by our differing cultural backgrounds, & that part of the war just never cropped up in conversation while I was growing up.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Ron Goldstein]

The title of this thread intrigued me…..“Forum users area of knowledge”.

I’ve often wondered what areas of expertise were owned to by other members but hopefully, by the time this thread has run its course, I will finally have the answer

Speaking for myself, I can of course retreat to my signature which shows areas in which I served, namely North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Egypt, Austria & Germany and I can quite happily and with confidence, speak of what it was like to have survived in those frenetic wartime days. I cannot however talk of such things as strategies and decisions taken at Commander level, at the time of which we speak I was but a lowly ranker in the Royal Artillery and later the Royal Armoured Corps.

No one above the rank of Sgt.Major ever took me into their confidence or told me what was going on, like millions of soldiers since time immemorial I just did what I was told and tried to stay alive.

While I have the floor, as it were, I would beg your indulgence while I raise an affiliated matter.

In 1949 I married the love of my life and thereby acquired a new family, namely my wife’s.

Two of my wife’s uncles, sadly departed many years ago, were of the generation that fought in the First World War, then known as the Great War and I was bemused by the fact that whenever these two met up they would be forever comparing wartime experiences.

I have to remind myself now, in the year 2007, that these two old codgers were reminiscing in 1949 about events that had taken place only 30 odd years before yet here am I, on this site, discussing and yes, remembering, things that took place 65 years ago.

I like to pride myself on the fact that I have never knowingly published an un-truth.

This has often required that I go back at a later date to articles I have previously written and say something like “on checking with my diaries I find” and make, where the system allows, the necessary amendments.

I am deeply aware of the limitations of what I have to offer in the way of historical dispute never having previously been involved in any academic research of wartime events but I am equally aware of what we, the old clan, can offer those who are prepared to listen.

Fellow veterans like Sapper and Tom Canning have told what it like to be grievously wounded, other “lucky buggers” like myself have told of the sheer miserable existence of surviving, in my case, almost five years of a mind sapping mixture of boredom/exhilaration albeit usually spent in extremely perilous conditions.

I would humbly suggest that you simply take our "veteran" tales as being the salt that enlivens your academia. “They should have done this” or “He should have done that” is all very well when using hindsight but just remember those of who lived in the period in question had to make do with pure ability and lots of guts.

With regards to all

Ron

[Onthefield]

Lately I've been looking into Operation Reservist and the North African landings pretty intensely and really intrigues by what I am finding.

[Sidi Rezegh]

I am hugely interested in North Africa and the Med, particularly the early years ('40-'41) but also the actions in Tunisia from Torch to the end in Africa.

[Erich]

and welcome to our forums...........

Ron and I expect you to keep adding your thoughts from the past as we of the younger genration need to know so we do not repeat

for me well yes I had to go back to page # 1 and see what I included.........yep I'll stick with air war over the Reich, S-booten of the Kriegsmarine arm

this is a good thread to have on hand, glad it was brought back up

[PzJgr]

Same here:

Eastern, Balkan and Mediteranean Theater of Operations
Waffen SS
Facist Italy

[Slipdigit]

Ron,

I appreciate anything you gentlemen have to offer. Your itelligent, well thought-out posts are always a welcomed treat for me.

I understand what you are saying about hindsight. By and large, those who lived during that time were doing the best they could do, just as we today are doing the best we can do.

Thanks again for sharing with us a part of your life.

[Martin Bull]

Originally Posted by Ron Goldstein

I would humbly suggest that you simply take our "veteran" tales as being the salt that enlivens your academia. “They should have done this” or “He should have done that” is all very well when using hindsight but just remember those of who lived in the period in question had to make do with pure ability and lots of guts.

With regards to all

Ron

That is a more than fair point, Ron; and one which I try ( but don't always succeed ) to keep in mind. As you say, it's nice and easy for me to say 'why on Earth didn't they...?' but then...no-one's ever shot at me ....

[Mahross]

Originally Posted by Mahross

Good idea. My areas of interest are:

- Normandy and the campaign in NW Europe
- Burma esp. Field Marshal Slim
- The Pacific
- The British Army
- North Afrca

Mine has not shifted to much but I would add to this

- Western Air Power both at the Strategic and Tactical level
- Operation JUBILEE - The Raid on Dieppe

Ross

[101 Troop]

Hello

My main interests are:

Operation Jubilee
Dieppe 19 August 1942
Army Commando WW2
Royal Marine Commando WW2
SBS WW2
SOE WW2
SAS WW2
No6 Commando
101 Troop
SAS in Malaya in the 50's
Covert operations in Malaya in the 50's

There That should cover it for now

[Joe]

Mine are,

-All types of tanks
-High-level ground tactics
-ETO, mainly D-Day and post D-Day
-MTO, mainly north Africa

Need to learn more in
-Ost front
-Italian Campaign
-PTO
-Naval stuff

[skunk works]

I'll call mine areas of interest, knowledge (maybe).
Aircraft (fighters/ground attack/torpedo/dive bombers)
Navy (ships/planes/battles)
Tanks et-al
PTO, ETO
Submarines
B-29's
Island fighting

[bigfun]

my interests are anything ETO, but recently i have been focusing in on the Netherlands.

and.....

Ron, well said Sir! I truly enjoy reading your posts, and look forward to learning more from you!
Thanks again!!!

[Slipdigit]

Not real knowledgeable about anything but I can fake it. I have good books I can rifle through if you need answers on these subjects I enjoy:

US Army organization, buildup, unit insignia
US Ground combat in the ETO
Naval activities in the Central Pacific.
German Army organization and structure
Pacific Naval suface combat.
War economics and logistics (real weak here, more of a wishful thinking on my part)

What I am actively trying to learn about:

British Commonwealth forces, ground and naval.
Soviet Army development, structure and logistics.
Uniforms and personal equipment of the Brits and Soviets. If either of these groups would put together some good web pages, I could learn more about them.

Things I am interested in but don't really persue:

Armor I can tell the difference between the various US, German and Soviet AFVs, but don't ask which M4 had a HVSS suspension and which one had VVSS suspension.
I am at a complete loss as far as British and Commonwealt armo(u)r is concerned. Did they build anything besides the Matilda and the Churchill?

I'd be even dumber were it not for the internet. Wikipedia is 100% accurate, right?

[Stevin]

My interests are

- Air war over NW Europe, particularly the January 11, 1944 mission
- Ground war in Europe; tactics, strategy, eye witness accounts
- Allied casualties in The Netherlands; I try and research the lives and deaths of the men buried in my country.
- Self published books by veterans

Slipdigit; you might find this book interesting, about the naval battle in the Java sea. Self published AnotherSixHundred- A True Naval History in Narrative Form

[Paul Errass]

As i've just returned after a three year absence my original post remains the same but now i'd like to add,

Battle of Normandy

Battle of Narva and the fighting in Estonia

The British in the Ardennes !!! Yes we were there !

Ron,

I'd like to send you greetings and best wishes from a fellow Gunner , 4 Field Regiment , RA, great to see you passing on your knowledge and experiences to us , your war service certainly was " Ubique ",

Paul

[Joe]

The British in the Ardennes !!! Yes we were there !

My Dad found a postcard from one of his relatives recently (Forget what relation they where), and he got captured in the Ardennes!