VP day

[mrsmackpaul]

Some time ago there was talk about VJ day in this wide brown land we call it VP day Victory in the Pacific I mentioned back then how I found something interesting on the youtube I would share if I remembered well looks like my brain hasnt failed me yet 

As a kid growing up my grandfather was in the Australian Airforce in the Pacific and he always told us how the Pacific was different as the the allies shared everything in the Airforce

Even though the US didnt have a Airforce back then it was called the army air wing  or some such thing but I think you all get the drift of what Im talking about, Australia had the second largest Airforce int the world at the end of the war 

They shared every thing I remember it been described was you went were you were needed you grabbed parts were you needed them from, didnt matter from where you just got the job done 

No body cared which country they were from they all worked together and shared, from what I have been told the Army and Navy never worked like this parts for planes were miss matched just to keep things flying as times were pretty crook back then and for some time it could go either way as in the Japs or the allies 

The one thing that pissed the the allies off to no end was the way the US treated their air crews and ground crews  so the rest of the allies took matters into their own hands and set there own rules (The US brass wasnt happy at all) and made sure the US crews had good treatment and were as well looked after as every one else 

The biggest problem there was between the US and everybody else was people in the US ware a hat when they sit down to eat and some big brawls were the result as it was and still to a lot of people in Australia considered very bad manners to were your hat at the table  

My grand father never had bad words to say about his US counter parts he was disgusted with the way the US treated their men at the start but things improved for them he found most of them really decent people who were just there doing a job and most wanted to get it done and then get home they didnt want to be at war but like Australians were asked to help and they did 

Thats sought of the way I remember being told in fairly condensed form the few things Pa( my grand father) told me , he like any other veteran I have come across never really spoke about the war much and we as kids never really asked, I was bought up with "its rude to ask questions , if your supposed to know you will be told" 

Anyway found this clip goes for a bit but there is one part in it that is the only reference I have seen about the sharing and working together , I believe it truly was a special time in the world that in so many ways bought out the best in humanity and also highlighted the worst, we must never forget what was given up for us to live this free life that we all enjoy 

I hope you dont find this all to boring to me it wasnt as of the few things I had been told by my grand father about his time in the Pacific it meant so much to see and hear similar stories to some of the ones he told me 

thank you

Paul 

 

 

[mowerman]

nice thanks for sharing....my pop and my uncles were all in that war,,,,and they really didnt talk about it much....they did say they got a lotta respect walking in thier uniforms back here...bob

[Timothy Maikshilo]

Thank you Pauly Boy! very nice clip and good to remember all those folks.

[kscarbel2]

In the hands of a sharp pilot, the Bristol Beaufighter was a deadly tool.

Paul, I believe the U.S. Army Air Corps was FAR better than the U.S. Air Force that replaced it in 1947.

The Army Air Corps, like the U.S. Marines, could appreciate the need to support the ground troops.

The performance of the Air Force has always been lacking, and has no commitment (mandate) to supporting the troops on the ground.

That U.S. Navy fighter pilots can fly circles around Air Force fighter pilots is no secret.