ARmy Rumour SErvice

This came up a couple of times in discussions with German friends last week.
I simply responded with the statement that the U-boat memorial at Laboe (nr Kiel) is in memory of the (48,000?) submariners killed doing a job they generally had no choice but to do - not a glorification of anything they may have done.
Instant acceptance.
Shame the press enjoy provoking rather than rationalising issues like these.

I've only seen pics, it looks stunning but then I'm not a Guardianista Architect.
I particularly liked the ceiling which echoed the internal airframe of WWII aircraft.
Long overdue.
The Germans got what they deserved, they were lucky the War in Europe ended before the completion of Trinity IMO or Dresden may have been a glowing glass slag heap for decades. Jebus they'd moan then.

I'm always amazed that everyone accepts what is basicaly Joseph Goebells words about Dresden rather than anyone elses
Goebells simply added a zero to the death count of 23,000 and released it via Switzerland to the press.
After the war it wasn't in the Russians interests to revise it down better to balme those new enemies Britain and America.
The Germans it's worth remembering brought in experts from the local concentraition camps to advise hem on eh best ways to burn the bodies and clean the area up.
They meticulesly listed everything the dead had on their bodies including money ration cards etc.
Luckilly years of murrdering jews and slavs had taught them a nice efficient way of doing things

Perhaps we shoud bin this revisionist history crap if Hitler and his gang hadn't started the bloody war in the first place the peace loving people of Germany could have got on with wiping themselves out without us dropping bombs on their heads to speed things along.

Well done Sky news for showingh footage of B 17 good effort was our MOD_RS bloke working for you that day?

As to the memorial whip out an old Jew who was in Hamburg or Dresden and let them explain why they think the bombing was inhumnan.

Brave men doing a hellish job fucked over by a Prime Minister and Goverment more concerned about their own reputations

Originally Posted by Alsacien

This came up a couple of times in discussions with German friends last week.
I simply responded with the statement that the U-boat memorial at Laboe (nr Kiel) is in memory of the (48,000?) submariners killed doing a job they generally had no choice but to do - not a glorification of anything they may have done.
Instant acceptance.
Shame the press enjoy provoking rather than rationalising issues like these.

Always liked it,great impression of a conning tower,and handy to guide you into Keil,when sailing!

The press,just want to sell more papers!

Here is an interesting account by a survivor

Sole Survivor: Belfast Bomber Command veteran tells his story - Local - Belfast Newsletter

Originally Posted by Alsacien

This came up a couple of times in discussions with German friends last week.
I simply responded with the statement that the U-boat memorial at Laboe (nr Kiel) is in memory of the (48,000?) submariners killed doing a job they generally had no choice but to do - not a glorification of anything they may have done.
Instant acceptance.
Shame the press enjoy provoking rather than rationalising issues like these.

Thanks, Alsacien, that's a brilliant comparison. I'll keep it in mind for future use.

My father in law (passed away in 2002) tried to join up and passed as A1 but was then turned down as he was an engineer and regarded as essential for war work. He lived in South Norwood but worked in the single storey buildings (still there) at Tolworth on the A3. It was in his later years in conversation that he told me they manufactured and repaired gun turrets there, the boulton Paul type among others. One time he let slip that the first task they had to do when a damaged turret arrived for repair was to hose out the inside which usually had remnants of the previous occupant. He worked there from 39-45 so got through a helluva lot of turrets and god knows how many had to be hosed out. Quite sobering, really. It should also be recalled about Dresden that the RAF only bombed it once, the US did it twice on successive days after the RAF raid but their role is never brought up - funny that, eh?

Originally Posted by intli

My father in law (passed away in 2002) tried to join up and passed as A1 but was then turned down as he was an engineer and regarded as essential for war work. He lived in South Norwood but worked in the single storey buildings (still there) at Tolworth on the A3. It was in his later years in conversation that he told me they manufactured and repaired gun turrets there, the boulton Paul type among others. One time he let slip that the first task they had to do when a damaged turret arrived for repair was to hose out the inside which usually had remnants of the previous occupant. He worked there from 39-45 so got through a helluva lot of turrets and god knows how many had to be hosed out. Quite sobering, really. It should also be recalled about Dresden that the RAF only bombed it once, the US did it twice on successive days after the RAF raid but their role is never brought up - funny that, eh?

The yanks were due to bomb Dresden first but bad weather meant the postponed the raid and the RAF who were meant to bomb in the middle of the USAF raids were moved up the bating order.
People said the USAF raids were worse as the Mustangs came down and straffed the area after the bombers had been through
Most of the USAF planes dropped their bombs blind due to the smoke over the target and one Sqn missed Dresden and bombed Parague.

My Grandfather said similler about tanks in WW2
If you got a tank back from the workshops and it had been painted white inside and stunk of bleach it was because they had washed the crews remains out of it.