Nope, as a matter of fact, we spoke of Stalin again today. I may have some liberal viewpoints, but to me, the truth about history is more important. As I have said before, I have never, nor do I do now, teach the students what to to think; I want to teach them how to think. That is truly the education that theyneed and deserve.

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With you 100% TSC, but you've got to admit there are more liberals in education than, for instance, finance. I think education is top heavy with liberals. I do believe there is a higher percentage of liberals in our college and university systems than our k-12 institutions.

Hummm, the higher the education level the higher the chance of being a liberal.

 

or, the smarter one thinks they are than others, the more likely they are to be liberal/progressive?

 

Rush Limbaugh? Glenn Beck? Kathleen Parker? Ann Coulter?

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That depends on where they've been educated, and by whom. Even so, the older, wiser, and more experienced a person is, the less likely they are to be a moon-bat Liberal.

 

Mostly, I agree with you OD. The one glaring exception appears to be the higher education community. Of course, most of us that have higher degrees came through those very institutions. Therefore, your hypothesis, the older and wiser they get the more they move away from Moon-bat liberalism applies, unless they stay in the field of higher education.

 

Ah, I see your point. So you are saying those four are covering up their insecurities over their lack of intelligence by acting and claiming to be smarter than the rest of us?

 

World War II was, in my opinion, the height of American unity and innovation. American technology and capabilities grew in leaps and bounds. If it wasn’t for the rampant racism in the United States from 1492 – 1965, I’d say that the adults of the 1940’s were probably the Greatest Generation. Although they are called that, the state of internal relations in America at the time- keeps me from giving them that honor, without an asterisk* beside it. In my opinion, this generation (Those aged 18 – 65 as of this writing) is America’s Greatest generation.

In December 1941, our combat equipment was lagging behind the Germans and Japanese. The only area in which we were ahead of both countries (Prior to Dec. 7th, 1941) was the Navy, and only in the (ships & submarines) category there.

When it came to aviation, the Japanese Navy pilots were deadly and way better than the American Navy, and the Luftwaffe (equipment and training) was head & shoulders above that of the US Army (There was no Air Force back then, it was all Army).

By 1945, our tanks, rifles, tactics, ships, fighters, and bombers were superior to anything (Except the Tiger tank) our enemy had available to them. Hitler’s 2nd in command said he knew the war was over when he looked up and saw American Fighter Aircraft (The P-51 Mustang) escorting our B-17’s over Berlin.

In terms of quality, yes- we were lagging. We defeated Japan and Germany because the war became one of attrition. One on one, a Sherman didn’t have a prayer against a Tiger. But, 3-4 on one, and the Tiger didn’t have a chance, especially once the 76mm Tank Destroyer hit the ground in Europe.

The only real weaknesses the Tiger tank had were four.

1. Burdensomely expensive and complicated to build. So, it could not be rapidly produced. Plus, it was being produced by POW’s and slave labor- who were sabotaging construction at every chance given.

2. It took too long to build one.

3. It did not have a turret, so instead of moving the turret to attack enemies, the entire tank had to turn- which is the real reason the Sherman was able to beat the Tiger.

4. Wheel design. The overlapping wheels got caked with mud and debris, which made the Tiger grind to a halt. Still deadly, the Tiger tank had weak ankles, and once outside to fix the problems, the crew wasn’t nearly as bulletproof as the tank was.

Today, our M1 Abrams has the same handicap as the Tiger does, with regard to #1, and #2. But, the only people on earth with a tank that’s a match for the M1, are our allies (England and Germany- and to a lesser extent Israel- with their new tank which many tout as “The best in the world”- mainly because of it’s escape hatch for those inside it.)

However, if Russia or China ever went to war with us, they’d find out very quickly how formidable the M-1 tank is- in conventional combat.

Germany:

Hitler made two mistakes that cost Germany control of Europe-

1. Invaded Russia.
2. Declared War on the United States.

Russia, England, and America plotted to assassinate Hitler, but- after he was making to many tactical and strategic mistakes in the war, the allied leaders thought he was more valuable alive than dead- with regard to bringing the war to a quicker end.

Japan made a few mistakes.

1. Attacking America without a declaration of war (Sneak attack).

2. Not attacking and capturing Midway Island the same day. Had they taken Midway, they would have had staging ground much closer to the US, and the battle of Midway (Which happened a few months after Pearl Harbor), would not have happened. That battle, in which we sunk 4 Japanese carriers, destroying hundred of Aircraft, and their most experienced pilots- turned the war around for the US.

3. They did not destroy our aircraft carriers- which had left port, independently steaming. With hostilities thought to be imminent, they left port and went to sea without support ships. I find it ironic that this happened, and I don’t believe for a second, that it was dumb luck.

Had Japan attacked on Nov. 30th, when it was expected by US brass, yes, we would have been ready for them (on high alert), but with light numbers and obsolete aircraft, they still would have succeeded in taking out our battleships and carriers, crippling America’s ability to wage war in the Pacific for years rather than months.

In terms of the air campaign, by war’s end, Our aircraft, (Hellcat, Wildcat, Lightning, Thunderbolt, Mustang, Flying Fortress, Super Fortress, Liberator, Mitchell) were all superior to the Japanese Zero’s and German 109’s. Our ships were better, and our tactics were as well. We had way more troops (millions), and although the country was near bankrupt, we had a military in 1945, that was many times larger than what we have today. Reason: Industrial capability, indomitable spirit.

We were cranking out ships so fast- the German’s said we were running out of names for the ships… That’s an example of America’s industrial might.

Germany’s war-machine would have been nearly invincible (until we developed the nuclear bomb), had they only one front to fight against. But, with Russia in the East, and America, France, and Canada in the West- Germany found themselves in a vice-grip from which there would be no escape. If we had been fighting Germany and Japan ourselves, the war in Europe would have lasted longer, or Europe may be one country today (Germany) rather than how we know it. I say that because we would have been unable to secure a beachhead in order to truly bring our industrial might to bear against Germany- if there was no eastern front. So, that was a crucial element- and without it, I think the world would have been a very different place today.

While I think we had the ability to defeat both enemies ourselves, without a place to stage, and a means to invade- I don’t think we’d have had the same success. D-Day would be looked at as a tragedy, more than a triumph, were it not for a divided enemy, and some carefully orchestrated tactics of misdirection- which kept most of Germany’s forces in Calais (The shortest crossing, and where they believed the main invasion would come from), rather than in Normandy (which was believed (by the Germans) to be a decoy to the real invasion).

We kicked Japan’s butt on our own (largely). Russia didn’t wish to engage the Japanese.

General Claire Chennault: My homeboy…

The Russian T-34 tank, and its slant armor, high speed, and firepower, were a big reason why they were able to push Germany out of Russia, and all the way back to Berlin.

Had an enemy declared war on the US on 9/11/2001 and attacked us, I think today’s American’s would have risen to the occasion just as those America’s in 1941 did. But, with an enemy who lurks in the shadows, with no infrastructure for us to decimate, makes fighting the war seem aimless, and pointless. Not that it is, it just seems that way- when you have to use a sledgehammer to kill an ant.

Because the enemy is invisible, that- and the fact that we’ve been at war 8 years with no clear victory, and no end in sight, is why- in my humble opinion- many Americans grow tired of the war, and of seeing what is over 3,000 caskets come back from overseas in that same time. They don’t know we lost almost that many in one day at Pearl Harbor, or that we lost almost that many on one day (D-Day). In today’s media connected world- you don’t just hear about the caskets- you see them too- and you keep seeing them. I think that is why American’s today, “seem” to lack the spirit of our grand parents and great grand parents.

I still believe this is a great country, with great men and women both in and out of uniform. Therefore, I believe, if a visible enemy attacked us, America would unify so quickly, it would make your head spin. Only in times of tragedy can we set petty differences aside for the greater good.

 

I agree with you on that and would add politicians and political activists to the list. It's harder to grow when you've spent your life teaching something, or as a visible proponent. It becomes a point of pride... or shame. Though many probably never even entertain the thought they could be wrong.

 

Patton may have been reckless and wild, but his accomplishments in World War II way overshadowed the few stupid mistakes he made (which were blown up by the media).

Patton's 3rd Army killed and captured more enemy troops than anyone else, liberated more cities, and moved further, faster than any other allied unit on theater. Why? Because Patton didn't believe in "holding" anything. He left mop-up duties to those who came behind him. Most people don't fight effectively when they are back-pedaling (except Cassius Clay (Ali) ), and the Germany Army was no exception. They couldn't mount a counter attack because they couldn't get Patton's foot out of their **** long enough to plan one.

My American history teacher was in Patton's 3rd Army in a Tank Destroyer unit. He loved Patton- and any mention of the man, and class was over for that day, as Mr. Hall told us story after story about Patton, and Patton's 3rd Army.

Patton was a big reason why D-Day was a success. Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Omar Bradley (who used to work for Patton) had Patton moved to norther England, across the channel from Calais and put in command of a fictional division, complete with inflatable tanks, airplanes and all.

German spies saw Patton and reported his presence back to the 3rd Reich. This reinforced German military leader’s opinion that the main thrust of our invasion in France would come at Calais- being pushed by our top battle field commander (Who had already kicked German butt in Africa and in Sicily/Italy). This kept the vast amount of German troops, tanks and equipment away from Normandy, and staged in a manner to repel an invasion in Calais. An invasion that never came.

This is not to say Normandy was easy. No it was not. But, if Patton had been spotted further south in England- Germany would have had more defenders in Normandy than they did, and the bloodshed would have been even more horrific.

Germany was scared of Patton. Because of that, his presence- and his lack of presence- saved French, Italian and American lives. His actions on the battlefield took German lives, and helped the war end faster.

As for Russia- yes, Patton's advice does seem like the right thing to have done in hindsight. I think we had the Army, Navy, and Air Force to defeat Russia. Plus, four months after Germany surrendered Japan was defeated. That is when we were primed to have launched a war against Russia- and they would have found themselves fighting a war on two fronts.

I think we would have defeated Russia, but at a very high cost.

Nevertheless, without provocation this would have been a foolish war for us to get into, and I think public support for such a war would have eroded at an alarming rate.

So, while I think we could have defeated Russia in 1945- it was not a smart war for us to fight in 1945. But, it did come with the possibility of preventing two other wars (Korea & Vietnam), the spread of communism, and nuclear proliferation.

 

Rachel Maddow, Barbara Streisand, Chris Matthews, Randi Rhodes, Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann, Thom Hartman, Arianna Huffington, Ed Schultz, Bill Maher, Stephanie Miller,.....

 

All I was trying to do, Tom, was show you that your hypothesis of,
"the smarter one thinks they are than others, the more likely they are to be liberal/progressive?" can be applied to both sides of the fence--liberal or the dark side...

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Both the Tiger 1 and Tiger 2 tanks had turrets that turned. The T1 had a slow moving turret and the T2 design was changed to a quick moving turret. I think you probably have the Elefant in mind.

The F4F Wildcat was not the equal of any of the axis aircraft. It wasn't until the Lightning and the F6F did we have an advantage. In the Pacific, the tide turned when our pilots were given the improved version of the F4U. The F4U Corsair delivered 80% of all aerial ordinance in the Pacific Campaign. In the European War, the Lighnting was the one that got the German pilots attention. The ThunderBolt was a tough airplane and was great at ground support but was far too heavy in aerial combat and the German pilots could dance around one all day long. That changed with the Mustang which was the far superior aircraft but only after the Brits worked it over. Our design still used the P&W Double Wasp engine. The Brits used the Merlin and after the Brits had major successes with it we modified ours to the Merlin engines.

At the start of WWII, our Navy was 5th rated in the world. At the end of the Pacific Campaign, we still had no capital ships capable of taking on any Japanese war ship. Their destroyers were capable of engaging and beating our Cruisers of the day. There has never been any surface combat ship made that could go head to head with the Yamato Class warships including our Iowa Class battleships. If it were not for the sacrifices of the American Carrier pilots and the intense training they received, we probably would not have beaten the Japanese. They also were on the verge of testing a nuclear bomb and were a lot closer than you want to know. In a matter of months, they could have put a nuclear bomb in San Francisco Bay.

While a lot of people would like to think that the Midway Victory was the turning point of the Pacific War, it was not. But it was a shift in momentum. The turn of the war occurred after the Battle of the Bismark Sea. The Japanese were advancing thru out the Pacific up to the Bismark Sea engagement. They were in retreat after that.

Everybody is entitled to their opinions about Patton but as history is being written and old files made public both here and in Russia, Pattons' credibility is falling fast. The only reason that the 3rd Army was not severely attacked at Ardennes was that the Germans had no clue about Pattons notorious ability and stupidity of out running his supplies and support. He did it in Sicily and ever other campaign he was involved with. He was reckless and got soldiers killed moreso than any other General on the Allied side. You might want to read the article about Patton in WWII mag. It has had some real interesting viewpoints on the man most are not aware of.

But on to other items. How come the Tuskegee airmen got tons of medals and awards but a lowly mess attendant named Dory Miller, who gave his all for this country, survived Pearl Harbor and witnesses claim he downed 3 Jap aircraft, only received the Navy Cross and ultimately the Purple Heart? He was a hero at Pearl Harbor manning a 50 cal machine gun with no training and fought to save his ship. The man deserves the Congressional Medal of Honor. Why isn't our President correcting this long over due medal?

 

To be brief, we won the battle against the communists and fascists, but communism and fascism's little brother socialism have won the war.

Our nation is in a downward spiral towards collapse. There's almost nothing that can stop that now. Our only hope is we will be reborn in our original image once everything falls apart.

 

The P51A had an Allison V engine, not a P&W radial.

FWIW, P-51A had the same engine as the P-38, P-39 and P-40.