Where would YOU serve in WW2?

Why not a French,Soviet,Hungarian,Italian or Japanese paratrooper? Or even an SS Patarooper?

 

I would love to be a SS Paratrooper running around trying to find Tito, and Hugarian Paratroops I feel a thread coming on JC

 

LOL Did that already LOL. Here ya go wtid45

http://www.ww2f.com/battle-europe/25355-death-heads-hungarys-airborne-forces-1938-1945-a.html

 

The "Operation Knight's Move" executed by the SS 500th Battalion has two accounts: the first- claimed by the Partisans were 1,500 Partisan troops killed/wounded by the SS parachutists. The SS claims are "6,000" partisans killed..


In any event, the 500th SS parachute battalion was wiped out in this operation, with almost all participants killed or wounded in action. Over 1,000 German kia/wounded.

It is said that the SS Paratroopers exterminated two thousand civilians as well....

 

I should of known cheers JC intresting post especially the Lake balaton connection.

 

I think if I was given the choice I would just as soon rebuild the carbuerators on PBJ's (B-25s) in the Pacific somewhere.

 

Thanks wtid45 .

 

LOL......it's funny how some reckon the more famous a unit is (waffen SS, American/British/German paratroopers), the safer it would be to serve with them.....when in reality it's usually the opposite.


:smg::skull::tommygun:

 

8th Infantry Division "Golden Arrow" -involved with the Normandy and Central Europe campaigns working my way through the axis!

 

So very true . I guess if it was up to some here there would only be cushy safe jobs or Waffen SS and paratroopers involved in the war LOL.

 

Yea... I'm just failing left and right... I'm still learning a lot, I know Market Garden was a failure, but I have yet to read up on specifics (same as many theatres) like Nijmegan, Arnhem, and w/e else there is.

But you are all saying there were so many casualties going on, but we wouldn't know that. Coming out of the depression people wanted to serve anywhere there was combat at first, but when they were offered extra pay to fly in the airborne, that is the reason many 'jumped' at the opportunity (heheh pun). So, I mean, if we knew exactly what would happen for everything, what's the point of this thread? We'd all be wanting to serve as MP's in Brooklyn or like jughead said repairing some carbuerators.

 

hello Dusky.....in my opinion there is no problem with any of the choices, of units picked here (I myself mentioned dangerous ones too) ......it's just that some of the comments made by users (perhaps it's just the choice of words).......... - sound as if they are only picking them because they are famous (mini series/movie has been made about them)........and in fact don't know or realise how dangerous it actually was - perhaps if they knew this, their choice may be different . (still there is nothing wrong with that either - just some of us who do know are explaining this).


I would like to know out of interest .......who would still pick paratroopers......if "Band of brothers" or "A bridge too far" were not made........hence these kinds of units would not be as famous as they are nowadays.

...maybe we would have someone working on "the red bull express" or on "sentry duty at a fuel dump"........maybe a chaplin ...... I like jeep drivers too

 

It wasn't just due to the extra pay, many joined because it was something different, something unique, never tried before, some for the excitement of battle, and others because the airborne troops are considered to be the best, the elite soldiers from the air, they wanted to serve with the best especially since the better the unit the more likely you are to survive, and perhaps some because it was strictly volunteers, these men were crazy that is much is clear.

"The definition of insane, is jumping out of a perfectly good plane with nothing but a parachute and a gun"

Statistics were not always censored by there governments, people could generally assume that a failed operation generally means loss of too much equipment and life, people were aware of the causalities of war just all didn't know what it was like, same as most of us here in this forum.

They are after all famous for something, the British with there loss at Arnhem, the Germans for there losses at Sicily, and the Americans for there losses and missdrops throughout normandy.

Who ever heard of volunteering for a cushy desk job when there is a massive war going on out side.

 

Those that were too old to enlist at that time.

 

i would have to say i'd be in the 3rd infantry division

 

or i'd be in the 1st ranger battalion

 

I think you mean this one.

 

Cause the eyes of the Ranger are upon you...
Any wrong you do he's gonna see
When you're in Texas look behind you
Cause that's where the Rangers gonna be!



Cheers...

 

I was thinking the same thing. Did the Ranger Battalion in the Pacific use the same patch? I think that the Pacific area battalion was numbered after one of the battalions that was wiped out in Italy if I'm not mistaken.

 

The scrolls were authorized only for local wear. Here is a good site for info on Ranger insignia WWII to the present.

Military Ranger Patches History 1

military ranger patches 1