[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear Sirs,

Firstly I do beg pardon to the RAF Moderators about some considerations I will write below. Do not know if some of those will broke the rules, but nevertheless I do need to write them and express some personal points and ideas here.

Dear Martin, after 25+ years of researches and contacts with former WW2 airmen; contacts with WW2 and WW1 veterans’ relatives; contacts with some dozens + of acclaimed Historians (some of those are members of this and other Forums); after 25+ years of Reading more than 1,000 books about the subject (including some written and published by acclaimed Historians that are members of this prestigious Forums - and other Forums too), personally I drawed on my mind (and soul) two conclusions about writing and about Military Aviation (am a civilian former Commercial pilot, so can not say properly about this subject, not being a Military pilot myself):

1- No matter how good one Military pilot may be, he can not single handlely survive without a WINGMAN. (Of course, there were some exceptions to this rule, including some excellents WW1 and rare WW2 accounts); but the general rule is that you do need a Wingman (at least).

2- No matter how good a Historian and Writer may be (and we do have quite a number of those here…I prefer to not quote names to not be unfair with those I may forget to write about or to not quote those I have not read yet), he do not everything alone...He do need information from a veteran (if he was Lucky to interview him personally), from relatives of a veteran, from other Historians, from Associations, from Official sources, etc. Resuming shortly: we do need co-authors (as I call them) or "wingmans"...those dozens persons we acknowledge on the introduction of a Book, those who supported our work of years, those that without their help we would not have achieved what we dreamed or imagined. This we call here in my country, Gratitude. We do nothing alone.

Regarding the thread asking for help with 3 Squadron ORB (Files AIR 27 at NARA), I have seen hundreds of similar requests here at this Fórum and on other Forums. I personally have shared with relatives and other Historians some ORB (and parts of ORB) I have acquired for my own researches and do have quoted on Threads at this Fórum and other Forums, passages of relevance, from books I do have...Always quoting the pages cited, the ISBN, the name of author and book's tittle.

We do not grow (as Human Beings and Researchers) alone. It is by sharing, by helping and being helped that we do that.

I believe the reason of this and other History and Military History Forums is to gather people, to Exchange information and stimulate new Works, the flow of information, etc.

It woud be easier to me to answer some threads here with: “Buy the book ISBN XXXXX”, instead of helping the person with the relevant passage, page number, etc.

I would not have bothered anyone if I had, as suggested, bought the relevant two months of the ORB of 3 Squadron, at the price of 7 pounds (which I will, believe me). I therefore do apologize for bothering, but I still believe that mankind do need persons helping persons...those who have (and can share) helping those do do not have...I thought (maybe wrongly) that the purpose - or at least one of the purposes here at TOCH - was to help people and to share information.

By the way, another member shared with me some entries privately, which do not solve the entries I am looking for 100%.

As the French (where I lived 4 years of my life) so say: "C'est la vie"....and we do keep going.

Please Mr. Martin do accept this not as an offense, rather as a personal point of view. I may have expressed in English (not my maternal language) something that my original language do express in other words. If so, I do beg your pardon. It is sad to read some threads here where people do loose their temper and start firing at each other hard words. Do not know what are your fields of interest, but If I eventually can be of assistance, I will gladly be.

To all members not related to this thread, sorry for the long reply.....I just opened my feelings (something I rarely do on Forums).

Adriano Silva Baumgartner, ASV 00.344