In General, What is Everyone Doing?

[Oberst]

Originally Posted by Broncazonk

I'm trying to understand why such ultra-specific, super-detailed questions about Luftwaffe pilots, crash events and individual aircraft details are nearly all that is asked on this forum....

....Are people writing super detailed unit/pilot/aircraft histories? What's going on here?

Bronc

SOme like historically correct.. not just books/movies, but even in flight sims.

[WIP]

[drgondog]

For me - It has been a lifelong tie to aviation with particular focus on wartime airpower and its influence on world events. The specific focus on LW in ETO has been important in my latest project where I decided it was important to put units and real people in the fabric of historical air battles - on both sides -

My first book was far less comprehensive than my latest. The one I just shipped to Schiffer is Volume I of a two volume set taking the 355th FG from WWII to Vietnam, then from Vietnam through Afghanistan.

[JohnnyB]

No, I'm not an expert - and what I do ? My interest in the Luftwaffe starts in my youth with the words of my father and what he told me about the Luftwaffe, a handfull of his pictures, a Josef Priller-book and a letter of his comrade. To find out the lost things about his military carrer was the cause to seek in forums like this for some help. So it became more and more information with the help of many great and adorable people, experts. With their, your help I found out nearly his complete military carrer and that´s not all - Ive found a lot of Luftwaffe knowledge, I've found a lot of int. friends here, the most important thing.
I would say that the history of Luftwaffe is sometimes like a giant puzzle and it's a great fun to share with others this puzzle. That's why I'm here - I can learn and it is a great pleasure to be here, even that I'm not an expert.

Best regards - Rainer

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi, guys...

I guess I have to admit to being a secretive 1% er also, as I was studying a coded plan of the radar and other Luftnachrichten installations in Denmark this evening.

It popped out of a file in which it should not really be - and as several people have mentioned - the search for small 'treasure' in the fragmented spoils of the German war machine - adding a small piece to the puzzle is a major driving force for several members here.

I would also like to underline that the fact that the members of this board try not only to be helpful to an extent beyond what can be expected in most cases, but also seem to be able to keep discussions contained on a polite level even when in total disagreement politically or otherwise is nothing short of impressive.

Keep up the good work all - the only thing I really regret is that I have limited time to contribute these days.

Regards,
Andreas B

[Richard T. Eger]

Dear Bronc,

I, too, have an interest somewhat afield from the mainstream of this site. Who shot down whom is not of particular interest to me. My focus over the last 55+ years has been on the twin-jet Me 262, with a slight branching out to other advanced Luftwaffe types. I have an interest in the development history, production, and the physical construction of the aircraft. Of these, production was affected by the air and land wars, so I have nudged a bit into the circumstances under which Germany found itself. WW II is a particularly fascinating period and there was an extreme amount of drama packed into a very few years.

You mention that you are tasked with writing a screenplay for a major motion picture company, the subject to be the transition year of 1943. I would hope that you have obtained a selection of good histories of the period to get as good an overview as possible. This is essential to be sure that what you write carries the correct message.

I can cite 2 movies, 1 excellent and 1 incredibly bad, for you to review. The good movie is Command Decision, a fictional, but well written and well acted account of attempts to knock out a specific factory producing the Focke-Schmidt, a mythical name for the Me 262. The incredibly bad movie, Red Tails, is of much more recent vintage. My lady friend wanted to watch this and so we rented it. It was very painful to watch. The acting, writing, and completely messed up history represent a classic case of how not to do a WW II era movie. Most of the aerial scenes showing aircraft, if not all, were computer generated, and here, too, these images were third rate. I would recommend viewing both to steer you away from schlock toward quality.

While there is a large warbirds community restoring WW II aircraft, there are still a limited number of aircraft available to possibly be used in a WW II movie. There are a fair number of P-51's available, but most of these are the D model. There are a few BF 109's available, as well as Spanish built versions called Buchons, although these are distinctly different from the German Bf 109's and I cringe when I see them used in WW II movies. There are now a number of new build Fw 190's and 3 new build Me 262's, although the latter wouldn't be of any interest for a 1943 era movie. There are some B-17's and B-24's, although I'm not sure of how many. However, for massed aircraft, I think you'll be stuck using computer graphics. CG can produce really excellent results if time and care is taken in generating them.

Regards,
Richard

[obdl3945]

Hi, Bronc... and all other contributors .

I like the question, and really like the varied answers. For me, a child of the early Sixties, I grew up with my father making model aircraft of his point of reference, World War 1. I followed that example, but this time looking back to World War 2. I saw some images in a book showing the 'Humbie Heinkel' (Humbie is a small hamlet near Dalkeith, which is near Edinburgh, Scotland) and immediately fell under the spell of this iconic machine. I began to read about the Heinkel and then other German aircraft, but much of the literature still had information originating from wartime, and everything was described as 'inferior' compared to British aircraft... not surprising, I dare say.

However, this in turn triggered a curiosity in me... surely not all German aircraft could be as bad to fly and operate as they were being described? I also marvelled at the many and varied colour schemes, and colour combinations are quite often still a trigger for me to build and finish a model in a given pattern or with particular markings. Also, modelling was one of the few mechanisms by which I could see and fully visualise a German aircraft - other than, say, a Messerschmitt Bf109 or Ju87 - at that early age... Fw200s, He177s and undoubtedly Bv141s all became wonderful reality through modelmaking.

Although I did actually make kits of many nationalities' aircraft, I eventually gave in completely to my interest in the Luftwaffe. I have been an avid modeller for 40+ years now and although never considering myself an expert, I occasionally chip in here with some information, or an image or two. The community here on TOCH has always been helpful, both to myself and others and I also believe it to be a courteous place to interact and learn with others. I have attended one event with Luftwaffe veterans present, and travelled abroad on occasion, both as a direct result of being a member of this forum.

TOCH is a place where many come and contribute and/or learn to varying degrees, but it is never a dull place to visit. I hope it will remain as helpful, friendly and informative in the future.

Warmest regards to all,

Paul

[FrankieS]

Somehow a lot of us had relatives involved ín all these WW2 circumstances or
we are moved by single fates of crashed/KIA/MIA aircrews.

bye, good luck to all,
excellent and most helpful forum this,
truly more than one could wish for,
FrankieS

[jednastka]

For my part, my grandfather was my kick start. Although he passed on when I was 4, I still vividly recall his association with aircraft. As a WWI vet, he entered the Polish Air Force in 1924, then the French in 1940, and finally the RAF. I started building model aircraft with my father when I was 5 or 6, and am now slowly amassing a large collection of kits. The curse is that when one is young, time is endless and money is tight, and the reverse is true as one ages. My area of model kit interest is 1918-1945, specializing in eastern Europe. I also collect on-line photos of these aircraft. I am also researching my grandfather as part of a larger "family history" dsocument.

Vic

[Broncazonk]

Johannes has been helping me (offlist) on Experten kills and claims. The idea is to create a near historically accurate screenplay that has none of the pseudo-drama that was featured in a recently released WWII aviation film.

The other question I have: Are steps being taken to protect, back up and preserve the archives of 12 O'Clock High!? The archives are a world-class, historically relevant, resource. It would be a tragedy if they were lost due to a computer memory failure or hacking.

Bronc

[Marc-André Haldimann]

Oops, good thinking Bronc! Ruy, your thoughts on those possible threats?

Cheers
Marc