I must confess to spending a great portion of my time watching documentaries about WWII, and I doubt there are many that I do not already own. I have listed a few that I would highly recommend if you are starting to collect them.

(1.) THE WORLD AT WAR 11 dvd set with over 26 hours, narrated by Sir Lawrence Olivier......A "must" for your collection!

(2.) WWII THE WAR IN EUROPE, with Walter Kronkite 3 dvds, over 11 hours. In depth look at both fronts (eastern and western) as well as previously unseen footage of the Warsaw uprising and other Partisan actions filmed by the freedom fighters themselves.

(3.) THE COLOR OF WAR, HISTORY CHANNEL..SETS #1 AND #2. Narrated by Peter Coyote, great color (real color, not "colorised") footage of AMERICAN troops. Covers everything from Basic Training to the War's end, and really taps into the feelings of our boys "Over There." 7 dvds

(4.) D-DAY, 60TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EDITION 3-DVDS. Many Veteran interviews including Sgt. Leonard Lomell, 2nd Ranger Battalion, and major Dick Winters, 101rst Airborne.

(5) ROLLING THUNDER, THE STORY OF THE 3RD ARMORED DIV., FROM THE HISTORY CHANNEL. EXCELLENT chronicle of the famous "Spearhead Division" from WWII to Iraq. 1 dvd.

Okay, that'll do for starters. I could go on forever, as I am addicted to watching this great historical programs and discussing them with others afterward. Please feel free to add to my list! I must confess another thing....I am a "homer" when it comes to who's accounts I prefer, and I don't enjoy any that belittle American Commanders or Soldiers!

Jim

Here is humorous story about some American pilots and an encounter with an RAF pilot. The writer of the letter, a pilot with the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, based at Membury, tells how the RAF boys do not like the "Yanks doing a little crazy flying once in a while, just having fun, and scare the hell out of them." The story was related to him by an RAF pilot.

"I was talking to one [RAF pilot] today who said ‘a bunch of blokes’ from one of our outfits were flying along and he decided he would pull up and fly formation with them so when he did they surrounded his plane and flew so close a box on him he couldn’t get out and he wanted to go home but they wouldn’t let him and after they led him away to hell off from his field, they let him out. He wasn’t sore though. He just laughed and shook his head and said the blokes."

cadetat6

Doing some research for a new friend, Keith. He is trying to find out more about this unit, especially who they may have been attached to, etc. during their tour of duty. Here's some info on the 835th. I found some of this on the Military.com site.

835th ENGINEER AVIATION BATTALION (Pending receipt of a Lineage and Honors Statement.)

The 835th Engineer Aviation Battalion was activated at Langley Field, Virginia 16 April 1942. Departed the San Francisco Port of Embarkation on 16 February 1943 and arrived at Egypt, Africa 29 March 1943. Transferred to Libya 1 July 1943 then Algeria 15 October 1943. Committed to combat in Italy on 8 December 1943. The unit was at Termoli, Italy less Co A at Ramistelli, Co B at Pomigliano, and Co C at Lesina, Italy. Returned to the United States via the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation 9 September 1945 and inactivated at Geiger Field, Washington 7 November 1945. This unit is known to have been active at Wolters Air Force Base, Texas on 8 January 1953.

CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATION CREDIT Naples-Foggia (Ground) Rome-Arno

DECORATIONS: None

BLAZONRY SHIELD: Argent, a cross couped gules a horse's head erased in the first quarter sable, and a fleur-de-lis florencee in the fourth quarter of the second.

CREST: That for the regiments and separate battalions of the Army Reserve: On a wreath of the colors (argent and gules) the statue of the Minute Man proper. The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John Parker (H. H. Kitson, sculptor) stands on the Common at Lexington, Massachusetts.

MOTTO: Work to Win.

DESCRIPTION: The shield is in the colors of the Corps of Engineers. The red cross is taken from both the arms of Italy and the province of Apulia. The black Horse's head is taken from the provincial arms of Campenia. These provices were the scene of trhe organization's Naples-Foggia campaign. The red fleur-de-lis florencee is the well known device of the tuscan city of Florence, located on the Arno River, whch marked the end of the Rome-Arno campaign. The distinctive insignia for the 835th Engineer Aviatioin Battalion consist of the shield and motto of the coat of arms (Ltr, dtd 8 January 1953).

Assistance is requested on the basic history and combat experiences of this unit. Please contact 1SG Charles W. Aresta, 1813 Sereno St., Honolulu, Hawaii 96817-2318 or e-mail: ra1sgt@aol.com

A beautiful collage! Thanks Peter!

www.In-Honored-Glory.info

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Semper Fi. Happy 230th Birthday to the great Marine Corps!

The following link (even though it takes a while to load) is worth the wait.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps!