hi I have been a lurker here for a while ....

[galgos]

You could try posting your question here:
http://ww2chat.com/forums/pacific-air-war/

Regards
Max

PS Excellent answer Nick

[Bill Walker]

Just to add my two cents worth about the pursuit of "minor" details:

You answered the question, in part, yourself. Many are looking for more information about a relative. You read the official reports, and then realize there must be more, or something doesn't add up. There are often several descriptions of the same event, some from opposing sides, and finding all this information may clear up the questions.

Another part of the answer is people like me trying to put history in terms they understand. I grew up in a military flying family, and have spent 35+ years designing, building, fixing and operating things that fly. If I can find out a little something about the rivets on a Bf109, I can process that information through the filters my life has given me, and understand a bit more about the people who specified, bucked, and inspected that rivet, and the people who bet their lives on that rivet performing as required.

[obdl3945]

Hi...

I have to agree that Nick's answer was very good, as well as Bill's. For me, as a reasonable model maker of almost forty years, it's about my models representing the real thing as best as my skills will allow. I see many models which are by far and away more intricate and superbly turned out than I choose to make mine, but if I see something that catches my eye, say at an exhibition or in a magazine or on the internet, I will try and find out more about that machine's unit, colour schemes used, codes, unit badges etc and then make my own model of that aircraft. This and other forums like it are an invaluable way of obtaining information from all sorts of sources.

As a youngster, I grew up with three volumes of Aircraft of the Fighting Powers - volumes 1,2 and 4 (it always irritated me that 3 was missing... !) which my dad had obtained possibly during the early part of WW2 when he was a boy. Understandably, they had more photos and information of Allied aircraft, which prompted my ten year old mind to look for the ones I didn't have so much information on, and making models was at that time the best way to 'see' those machines which were most likely gone forever from my ever being able to see them up close in a museum, hence my interest in Luftwaffe aircraft.

Aside from the above, forums like this also serve to drawn people together, and collectively to keep alive the memory of brave men and women of all nationalities who have lived before us in difficult times and circumstances, which I have thankfully never had to endure.

I also have to say a big thank you to all on this forum who have assisted me, and others, in providing help and information. I have seen postings on many other sites which sadly are both ill-informed and on occasion, not very tasteful. We here at TOCH may not always agree on things, but I find the contributors to be friendly, highly informative and willing to help when they can. Long may it continue.


Regards...

[John Beaman]

Actually, most of us have no life! More seriously, it is putting together history as properly as we can. In a movie about the Battle of Saratoga (American Revolution), as Burgoyne surrendered, an aide asked, &quot;But Sir, what will history say?&quot; Burgoyne, played incredibly well by Sir Laurence Olivier replies, &quot;As usual history will tell lies&quot;. We try to put paid the lies. It is a never ending task. </p>