After the train station scene at the begining, I didn't breathe until the end of the movie. Growing up in the 60's there was a plethora of WWII movies, my 2 favorites being The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, this one held me.
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- Thread starter Nittany Ned2
- Start date
My father was in the navy before WWII and his first war operations were in north Atlantic convoy duty, escorting merchant ships from Philly to England. He said that the Germans were not interested in his boat because they had orders to sink merchant ships. He said he felt safe there but"he pitied the poor bastards on the merchant ships".
When the USS Laffey was commissioned in early 1943, he was on the radio team. He said on D-day, the captain of the Laffey as ordered to stay way offshore but the captain saw the carnage and moved in to shell uplands west of the landing beach.
Another tale he told us was the kamikaze attack on the Laffey offshore Okinawa. He said he was sunning on the deck when this airplane came straight at him. He said that was the only time he was really scared. The ship's air defense got the plane and it hit the edge of the ship. He ducked inside.
I guess he lived a little history.
When the USS Laffey was commissioned in early 1943, he was on the radio team. He said on D-day, the captain of the Laffey as ordered to stay way offshore but the captain saw the carnage and moved in to shell uplands west of the landing beach.
Another tale he told us was the kamikaze attack on the Laffey offshore Okinawa. He said he was sunning on the deck when this airplane came straight at him. He said that was the only time he was really scared. The ship's air defense got the plane and it hit the edge of the ship. He ducked inside.
I guess he lived a little history.
Sounds like he was a lot more scared than he let on
"Laffey survived despite being badly damaged by four bombs, six kamikaze crashes, and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71. "
VIDEO: Mel Gibson set to Direct World War II Kamikaze Attack Film ‘Destroyer’ - USNI News
Mel Gibson plans to direct a film about the ferocious kamikaze attack on USS Laffey (DD-724), according to a report published by The Hollywood Reporter. Destroyer (original working title: Kamikaze) will mark Gibson’s second foray into events concerning the 1945 Battle of Okinawa. His 2016 film...
news.usni.org
Since becoming aware of "Herd Immunity," it has dawned on me, that during war, especially contact, thereis herd courage. I suppose it is just adrenaline! You had to move on trails in nam as, a) the CAV's mission was "Search and Destroy!" There was never going to be anything worth finding that was not on a trail and b) so when those little LOH choppers the CAV had up all day long did find something, there was no way to "quietly" hack your way thru jungle to get there. So you were always going to be ambush bait on trails! Anyway, I can recall knowing you were going to get ambushed at any time, because in some AOs you got hit, med evact the wounded, then the next day, move another 200 meters and get hit again! However, once a fire fight was ongoing, no fear! Just two days after 24 hour IV anti-bio-tic and lead in me for life, I was back out there with sergeant S's black forehead and empty eye sockets in my head, as I'm handing him the hand set and he takes an AK round to the left temple and I'm flipped backwards down Shakey's Hill! I have never been able to bring myself to purchase the documentary, as CBS had two Australian cameramen embedded with us in Cambodia for weeks!
can pick it up although technically I should not be penalized as I was not discussing her many virtues.
