Thursday, October 11, 2012

WE WERE ENEMIES ONCE------------















Colonel General Hans-Jurgen von Arnim, 1889-1962


Gen Von Arnim , Monte Cassino and the

Indian connection

swastika1150x135

The Fourth Indian Division(4 Inf Div) had the honour of capturing General von Arnim in Tunisia, bringing an end to the North African campaign. Its major battles in North Africa were Benghazi, Tobruk, Wadi Akarit, Enfidaville and Tunis.The division moved in January 1944 to Italy (joined by the newly re-constituted 11 Brigade), where it took part in the Italian Campaign. It took a major role (sustaining very heavy casualties) in the second Battle of Monte Cassino .In November 1944 the division was shipped to Greece to help stabilise the country after the Axis withdrawal. Holworthy was succeeded by Major-General Charles Boucher in January 1945 who commanded the division until the end of hostilities.

                 During World War II the Fourth Indian Division captured 150,000 prisoners and suffered 25,000 casualties, more than the strength of a whole division. It won over 1,000 Honours and Awards which included 4 Victoria Crosses and 3 George Crosses
.
Field Marshal Lord Wavell wrote:

"The fame of this Division will surely go down as one
 of the greatest fighting formations in military history,
 to be spoken of with such as The Tenth Legion, The
 Light Division of the Peninsular War and Napoleon's
Old Guard"
The Caravan of General Von Arnim, German Army, who surrendered to the 4th Indian Division (a.k.a. Fighting Fourth) in Tunisia, Africa. A prize war trophy,  even today , with the Division.
General Von Arnim
        India   A PRIZED WAR TROPHY WITH 4 DIVIndian4DivBadge.JPG
                     INDIA
Sikh mountain gunners

 cleaning Italian guns captured by the 5th Indian

 Division

The 4.2" mortar crews of the 5/5th Marathas, the machine gun battalion of the 8th Indian Division, in action in Italy.
s manned the Vickers machine guns and heavy mortars that supported infantry divisions
=======================





-


No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War-





Hiroo Onoda (小野田 寛郎 Onoda Hiroo, born March 19, 1922) is a former Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who fought in World War II and did not surrender in 1945. In 1974 his former commander traveled from Japan to personally issue orders relieving him from duty. Onoda had spent almost 30 years holding out in the Philippines. He held the rank ofSecond Lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army.the Japanese government located Onoda's commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who had since become a bookseller. He flew to Lubang where on March 9, 1974, he finally met with Onoda and fulfilled the promise made in 1944, "Whatever happens, we'll come back for you," by issuing him the following orders.

  1. In accordance with the Imperial command, the Fourteenth Area Army has ceased all combat activity.
  2. In accordance with military Headquarters Command No. A-2003, the Special Squadron of Staff's Headquarters is relieved of all military duties.
  3. Units and individuals under the command of Special Squadron are to cease military activities and operations immediately and place themselves under the command of the nearest superior officer. When no officer can be found, they are to communicate with the American or Philippine forces and follow their directives.


Onoda was thus properly relieved from

 duty, and did not surrender. He

turned over his sword, his Arisaka 

Type 99 rifle (in working order), 500 

rounds of ammunition and several 

hand grenades, as well as the dagger 

his mother had given him in 1944 for

 protection. Only private Teruo 

Nakamura, arrested on 18 December

 1974, held out for longer
.Hiroo Onoda in 2001




Click here:
Japanese Surrender http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vcnH_kF1zXc&feature=player_embedded
This is an actual film made of the surrender ceremony of the Japanese to McArthur in Tokyo Bay in September 1945.


             





Actual voice of the General. 

World War II Photo: The Japanese Surrender

View Full Size
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
The Japanese Surrender
Potsdam Conference
U.S. Planes
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Atomic Bomb Test Site
The Enola Gay
Nagasaki Bombing
Nagasaki, 1945
Nagasaki Damage
The Japanese Surrender
V-J Day
The Japanese surrender at Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945. U.S. Federal Government photograph. Public domain.

SPECIAL NOTE
THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWN BELOW WERE TAKEN BY ME   (tonysarao@gmail.com)    FROM AN ALBUM DISPLAYED IN ONE OF THE MILITARY MUSEUMS IN INDIA . THE ALBUM BELONGED TO A JAPANESE OFFICER WHO WAS CAPTURED IN BURMA IN WW2 . NOTHING MORE IS KNOWN. CAN ANYONE HELP IN TRACING THE SOLDIERS OR THEIR FAMILIES IN JAPAN.THEY  HAD FOUGHT FOR THEIR COUNTRY.












And now -----------


Does anyone remember the Ventures and Babbitt the drummer who played "Walk Don't Run"?Do any of you remember a USAF Four Star General George Babbitt from Tacoma, WA?  General Babbitt was a drummer at one time for the Ventures.Cool eh??!!
  

















MY VALIANT DAYS

  For some time now I have been reading posts from the 'Valiants' and reminiscing about my days as a Valiant. 💥💥 Though I general...