some a bit different
"This man is your Friend. 'Russian'"
to big to post link to poster
interesting Chinese propaganda images.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010...c_12774552.htm
some a bit different
"This man is your Friend. 'Russian'"
to big to post link to poster
interesting Chinese propaganda images.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2010...c_12774552.htm
It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. The freeman of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents. James Madison
Live as free people, yet without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but live at all times as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16
It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. The freeman of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents. James Madison
Live as free people, yet without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but live at all times as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16
The Chinese were one of the first to fight the Japs in WWII, that's where Pappy Boyington & the Black Sheep Squadron first fought. They were the AVG (American Volunteer Group), fighting with the British before Pearl Harbor happened. After America declared war on Japan, the Black Sheep were absorbed into the Marines. Boyington's book was an awesome read, possibly one of the best I've ever read.
Those posters were necessary because of all the anti-Japanese media portrayals, and probably like most Americans, I couldn't tell you by looking at a picture if someone is Japanese, Korean or Chinese. Saying that in front of any of those groups would probably get me a good round of fisticuffs, but it's the truth.
Not all Asians were our enemy, and that message had to get out to the troops, some of whom had never seen any kind of Asian before. It would have been bad to shoot our allies in the heat of battle because they looked similar to Japanese - but I don't doubt that happened anyway.
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Actually, Boyington was the only VMF-214 member to have fought for Chennault in Burma and China, as a member of the AVG better known as "Flying Tigers."
They were volunteers, Boyington had resigned his commission to join.
The Tigers first saw combat AFTER Pearl harbor, on 20 Dec 1941.
The Flying Tigers were absorbed into the Army Air Force under Chennault, becoming the 23rd fighter group, not the Black Sheep.
Boyington rejoined the Marines, wrangling a Major rank, and was first assigned to VMF-122 until August 1943. The following month he was named commanding officer of the recently disbanded squadron VMF-214 - which was actually commissioned on July 1 1942 and was called the "Swashbucklers" and were disbanded after the Solomon Islands campaign and the squadron designation was re-assigned to US Marine command, Espiritu Santo.
At first, 214 wasn't assigned any planes, personnel or equipment but Boyington wrangled up 27 "misfits" from MAG-11 and used borrowed planes at first, with authorization. They flew to Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands as close air support.
It wasn't until they were assigned a airfield on Vella La Vella that they adopted their official squadron name of "Black Sheep."
Their first tour as the "Black Sheep" lasted 84 days during which they shot down or damaged 203 enemy aircraft, sunk enemy transport ships, produced nine "aces" and were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism in action.
Their second tour began after extended R&R in Austrailia, except without Boyington who by now was a POW after having been shot down and captured by the Japanese during one of the last original first tour missions of VMF-214.
The squadron was assigned to carrier duty after that, aboard the USS Franklin participating in ongoing operations over Okinawa. The end for the squadron's involvement in WW2 came when a enemy bomber struck the Franklin, killing over 700 including 32 Black Sheep.
Pappy's books are well known to contain, many embellishments and outright inaccuracies.
Last edited by Anton Chigurh; 02-18-2015 at 01:54 PM.
'Is there anything wrong with anything.' Is that what you're asking, friendo?
You're right, they didn't actually see combat until after Pearl Harbor. It's been 20 years since I read that book ( sadly now lost, autographed by Boyington at a Denver Air Show for my Dad) and I should have brushed up on my facts.
Nevertheless, they were organized and enroute to China prior to Pearl Harbor after Roosevelt signed an unpublished executive order allowing the program.
Did you read Baa Baa Black Sheep, Anton?
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OMG whatta terrible loss to history that is. (The bolded)Yep happily it was required reading back in HS US History class. Also read his novel about the AVG, "Tonya." Although BBBS IS his official autobiography, it contains many of the fictionalized, novelistic elements of "Tonya" including the transposition of people's names in a spoonerism style - for example, he might have named you "Tight Rain" - and it also includes some fictionalized characters and situations, by way of mostly embellishment. This was due mostly to meddling by the publisher.Did you read Baa Baa Black Sheep, Anton?
BUT.... the actual reason I am so well versed in the history of Squadron 214 is its role (as credited by my father) in saving my father's life both during the Inchon landing and the Chosin campaign in Korea. Of course, by then none of the original Black Sheep were members of this squadron, but they were still flying the Corsairs and hadn't become a jet squadron as yet.
Together we really enjoyed the TV show even though as Boyington himself said, it was mostly bullshit. But it was good bullshit.
'Is there anything wrong with anything.' Is that what you're asking, friendo?
Yeah, I would give a great deal of money to get that back. He wrote : "To Rick - Warmest regards always." Greg "Pappy" Boyington. I watched in awe as he signed it for my Dad, because in 1980 or '81 I was well aware that he was a real hero because of the TV show. As a kid, I was confused as to why he would write that since he'd never laid eyes on my Dad before, but I remember he was sociable and friendly with the line of people stacked up waiting to get their book autographed. That was the day I watched a hot air balloon do a slow-mo crash, so it was a pretty memorable day for me.
There were some pretty racist things in the book by today's educational standards, so there's no way it would be required to be mandatory for school kids these days. But growing up listening to my Grandpa's war stories as a Marine on Okinawa made the book even more authentic for me.Yep happily it was required reading back in HS US History class. Also read his novel about the AVG, "Tonya." Although BBBS IS his official autobiography, it contains many of the fictionalized, novelistic elements of "Tonya" including the transposition of people's names in a spoonerism style - for example, he might have named you "Tight Rain" - and it also includes some fictionalized characters and situations, by way of mostly embellishment. This was due mostly to meddling by the publisher.
BUT.... the actual reason I am so well versed in the history of Squadron 214 is its role (as credited by my father) in saving my father's life both during the Inchon landing and the Chosin campaign in Korea. Of course, by then none of the original Black Sheep were members of this squadron, but they were still flying the Corsairs and hadn't become a jet squadron as yet.
Together we really enjoyed the TV show even though as Boyington himself said, it was mostly bullshit. But it was good bullshit.
As they were traveling in China :
Yeah, the howls of outrage for high school kids reading this would be immense.Originally Posted by Pappy Boyington
Good times! I just ordered a copy of Baa Baa Black Sheep on Amazon with expedited shipping.
Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum
WWII propaganda posters were clever on both sides.
"The enemy sees your light! Blackout!"