[HRH1948]

Fortunately, I didn’t live the history of WWII. The history I know was learned from text books, quite a few film documentaries, quite a few biographies, an 18 volume set written by a retired US army colonel and the firsthand accounts of my elders.

Granted, practically all of my knowledge is American based. I literally went back and checked references to the Suez Canal and Tito in my university text book for the course "The History of World War II". Literally, both rated little more than two paragraphs. There was an interesting little book entitled the "War Magician". It went into detail regarding Jasper Maskelyne designing a strange flashing light or illusion that prevented the Germans from making night attacks on Allied shipping in the Suez. It didn’t elaborate on the importance of protecting the canal.

My Russian friends have a totally different history of WWII. It’s a history that they were taught and believe. But, hell they’re Russian. They believe that the Russians invented the Internet and Al Gore stole the invention.

My late Czech Great Aunt was in Berlin during the closing days of the war. Her history was totally different than anything I was ever taught. It was tainted by the German propaganda machine

Now, I learn that my English friends have a different version of history as well.

My uncle was at Normandy, Bastogne and Berlin. His history was an American’s view.

To the British, Doolittle was a cowboy pilot. To us, he was a brilliant courageous officer that was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and played an integral part in the defeat of two enemy nations.

We were taught that Tito was a communist puppet dictator and political opportunist that had little to do with the WWII victory.

We were taught that the Germans thought the real invasion was to be at Calais and that Normandy was a diversion. And by the time they learned the truth (weeks too late), we had enough strength on the beach to repel the reserves. We were taught that Doolittle’s 8th air force’s Thunderbolts and the RAF’s Mosquitoes had literally destroyed every locomotive within a hundred miles of Normandy and that enemy tanks or heavy troop groups couldn’t move in daylight for the same reasons.

The bombings of London, Dresden and Tokyo were stupid from a military standpoint and were indefensible war crimes. How is that not ethnic cleansing?

Revenge is not a motive for the slaughter of innocents. An eye for an eye creates a blind world. Make no mistake. When the innocent put on a uniform and carry a weapon, all innocence is lost and killing her is an acceptable death of an enemy combatant. Prior to that uniform going on, killing him would be murder and a war crime.

I wonder how much my world view has been modified by the Cold War US propaganda machine and the realities of the Nam.