tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post804820182260806435..comments2024-03-04T17:54:32.559+00:00Comments on Iain Dale's Diary: Travelling to ArnhemIain Dalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03270146219458384372noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-986784272014116312010-09-18T08:42:54.198+01:002010-09-18T08:42:54.198+01:00Furor
The Germans had a U Boat base at Penang in M...Furor<br />The Germans had a U Boat base at Penang in Malaya but I expect you have heard of it.<br />The conflict in Burma never really came to an end.Various ethnic groups have been fighting the central government and the Karens who were promised independence for their support of the British during WW2 are still fighting to this day.Manfaranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672026288937285646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84480921088343466112010-09-17T22:24:16.688+01:002010-09-17T22:24:16.688+01:00There were a great many movies about WW2 (and inde...There were a great many movies about WW2 (and indeed made during WW2) which were works of fiction.<br /><br />Objective Burma starred Errol Flynn who was considered something of a 'conchie' for staying in Holywood (unlike Jimmy Stewart, David Niven and others - not wholly fair as he was rejected on health grounds apparently). <br />It was also a Holywood film and gave the impression the US won the war in Burma which did not go down well.<br />In '52 when it was finally shown it had a more favourable prologue to set the record straight.<br /><br />It is in fact a very fine film (the 'radar station' is just the maguffin) and Flynn was very very good in it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-84063536982633255442010-09-17T16:50:19.002+01:002010-09-17T16:50:19.002+01:00September 17, 2010 10:28 AM , Manfarang said...
...<i> September 17, 2010 10:28 AM , Manfarang said... <br /><br />The movie 'Objective Burma' is a work of fiction not based on any facts at all.No lesser person than Winston Churchill strongly objected to it and it was not show in Britain until 1952.</i><br /><br />THAT I can imagine. However the Japanese were NOT "radarlos".<br /><br />I had an Uncle in the Chindits out there.<br /><br />(My family served on both sides, German (mostly), and British.Furor Teutonicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13856575077967523322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-11816472810351644792010-09-17T12:21:43.824+01:002010-09-17T12:21:43.824+01:00Hamish, the Belgians are just as grateful. And of ...Hamish, the Belgians are just as grateful. And of course we liberated them twice as often as we did the Dutch!<br /><br />I lived in Antwerp for a while and occasionally a ship of the (British) Royal Navy would pay a courtesy visit. There was always a good turnout by the locals to welcome them.Rush-is-Righthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12860467341217977185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-48786908954172105572010-09-17T10:28:40.413+01:002010-09-17T10:28:40.413+01:00Furor
Yes the Japanese were behind in their resear...Furor<br />Yes the Japanese were behind in their research and development of radar in WW2 as your sources state.<br />By 1944 the date you mention as the start of production, the Japanese were in retreat in Burma and their supply lines were disrupted by the fact the Japanese Airforce had been shot out of the sky over Burma and most of the cargo ships coming from Japan sunk.<br />It is unlikely the Japanese ever set up ground based radar stations in BURMA.My father heard of no mention of them and he was trained to work on radar so someone somewhere would have told him about any captured equipment.<br />The movie 'Objective Burma' is a work of fiction not based on any facts at all.No lesser person than Winston Churchill strongly objected to it and it was not show in Britain until 1952.Manfaranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672026288937285646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-5413923531227425782010-09-17T09:59:49.363+01:002010-09-17T09:59:49.363+01:00Hi Iain, I hope you and your father are having a g...Hi Iain, I hope you and your father are having a great time. I wonder if your father has visited this amazing barn in Bedfordshire which I stumbled on during a walk with the ramblers and was used by special agents during WW2, including Violette Szarbo and Francois Mitterand. There are lots of pics on a slideshow with the post which he can view. I assume he has been to Bletchley Park.Ellee Seymourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11647480320978146418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-81846211411681422832010-09-17T09:11:10.666+01:002010-09-17T09:11:10.666+01:00@ Furor Teutonicus
Any mention of the theatres of...@ Furor Teutonicus<br /><br />Any mention of the theatres of deployment? Burma, for example?Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307116169498533047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-35476490717371429172010-09-16T23:16:39.858+01:002010-09-16T23:16:39.858+01:00Iain, as an admittedly rather conservative leftie,...Iain, as an admittedly rather conservative leftie, can I politely suggest that you plan to wear something a little smarter this time?Steve Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09912878505987152039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-62025742115643482492010-09-16T23:02:37.391+01:002010-09-16T23:02:37.391+01:00You look very dapper in the photograph Iain. Who ...You look very dapper in the photograph Iain. Who is the scruffy chap beside you?<br /><br />Seriously, I hope you both have a rewarding trip.<br />I share Richard's admiration for the way the Dutch show their continuing gratitude for our help in turning back the Nazi menace.Hamishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07401451754373118599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-59803049627919820822010-09-16T22:29:32.807+01:002010-09-16T22:29:32.807+01:00@Albert 11:09 - Commonwealth War Graves Commission...@Albert 11:09 - Commonwealth War Graves Commission: they certainly have responsibility for maintaining the cemeteries, but whenever I have been there, it has been (usually elderly) Dutch volunteers who are actually tending the flowers and making sure the headstones are in good order. I have spoken to many of them, and their appreciation for the British effort is touching, even today.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743685798068014455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-18188217773218628102010-09-16T21:01:18.532+01:002010-09-16T21:01:18.532+01:00Travelling with parents is often stressful, but, b...Travelling with parents is often stressful, but, by jove, you've lost weight....Pavilionopinionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06317555913793897157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-75171855142896969942010-09-16T20:22:17.462+01:002010-09-16T20:22:17.462+01:00At September 16, 2010 3:52 PM , Manfarang said......<i>At September 16, 2010 3:52 PM , Manfarang said... <br /><br />Furor<br />Since my father was an RAF radar technician I think he does know whether the Japanese were using radar in Burma.He was there, you weren't.</i><br /><br />The proof is in the link.<br /><br />AQND, if you do not like WIKI;<br /><br />http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwiz_12.html#m7<br /><br />[8.5] JAPANESE RADAR TECHNOLOGY AT WAR<br /><br />* At the end of 1941, the Japanese began a wide-ranging offensive that swept through the colonial possessions of the British, Americans, and Dutch in the western Pacific, reaching as far southeast as the north coast of New Guinea to threaten Australia. Among the benefits of this spectacular wave of conquest was the fact that the Japanese obtained a number of British GL-type sets in Singapore, as well as a US SCR-268 set and a damaged US SCR-270 set on Corregidor. <br /><br />The IJA put a modified version of the GL into production as the "IJA Tachi 3". It operated on a band around 3.75 meters (80 MHz), had a pulse width of one to two microseconds, a peak power of 50 kW, a PRF of 1,000 or 2,000 Hz, and a maximum range of about 40 kilometers (25 miles). About 150 were built by Sumitomo, with the type going into service in early 1944. The Tachi 3 set was the first Japanese set to incorporate Yagi antennas, which was a great irony, since such antennas were the invention of Hidetsugu Yagi, a Japanese electronics researcher of global stature. To add to the irony, Dr. Yagi had been involved in the development of the IJA Type A interference detector. <br /><br />On their part, the IJN recognized the SCR-268 as a good piece of gear and put a derivative of it into production as the "IJN Mark IV Model 1". It operated in a band around 1.5 meters (200 MHz), had a pulse width of 3 microseconds, a peak power of 30 kW, a PRF of 2,000 Hz. and a maximum range of about 48 kilometers (30 miles). It was followed by the improved "IJN Mark IV Model 2", which had basically the same general specifications except that the PRF was reduced to 1,000 Hz. The Japanese built a few hundred of these radars in all. <br /><br />http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwiz_08.html#m5<br /><br />Which just goes to prove the saying "Being there does NOT make you an expert".Furor Teutonicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13856575077967523322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-78305120844986557022010-09-16T20:18:03.552+01:002010-09-16T20:18:03.552+01:00At September 16, 2010 3:52 PM , Manfarang said......At September 16, 2010 3:52 PM , Manfarang said... <br /><br />Furor<br />Since my father was an RAF radar technician I think he does know whether the Japanese were using radar in Burma.He was there, you weren't.<br /><br />AND, if you do not like Wiki;<br /><br />http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwiz_12.html#m7<br /><br />[8.5] JAPANESE RADAR TECHNOLOGY AT WAR<br /><br />* At the end of 1941, the Japanese began a wide-ranging offensive that swept through the colonial possessions of the British, Americans, and Dutch in the western Pacific, reaching as far southeast as the north coast of New Guinea to threaten Australia. Among the benefits of this spectacular wave of conquest was the fact that the Japanese obtained a number of British GL-type sets in Singapore, as well as a US SCR-268 set and a damaged US SCR-270 set on Corregidor. <br /><br />The IJA put a modified version of the GL into production as the "IJA Tachi 3". It operated on a band around 3.75 meters (80 MHz), had a pulse width of one to two microseconds, a peak power of 50 kW, a PRF of 1,000 or 2,000 Hz, and a maximum range of about 40 kilometers (25 miles). About 150 were built by Sumitomo, with the type going into service in early 1944. The Tachi 3 set was the first Japanese set to incorporate Yagi antennas, which was a great irony, since such antennas were the invention of Hidetsugu Yagi, a Japanese electronics researcher of global stature. To add to the irony, Dr. Yagi had been involved in the development of the IJA Type A interference detector. <br /><br />On their part, the IJN recognized the SCR-268 as a good piece of gear and put a derivative of it into production as the "IJN Mark IV Model 1". It operated in a band around 1.5 meters (200 MHz), had a pulse width of 3 microseconds, a peak power of 30 kW, a PRF of 2,000 Hz. and a maximum range of about 48 kilometers (30 miles). It was followed by the improved "IJN Mark IV Model 2", which had basically the same general specifications except that the PRF was reduced to 1,000 Hz. The Japanese built a few hundred of these radars in all. <br /><br />The IJA also tried to build derivatives of the SCR-268 in the form of the "IJA Tachi 1", "IJA Tachi 2", and "IJA Tachi 4", all operating on the 1.5 meter (200 MHz) band used by the SCR-268, but these radars did not prove satisfactory and were only built in small numbers. Late in the war, the IJA did introduce a much more workable derivative of the Tachi 4, the "IJA Tachi 31", also operating at 1.5 meters (200 MHz), with 70 built.<br /><br />http://www.vectorsite.net/ttwiz_08.html#m5<br /><br />As I said, "Being there, does NOT make the expert."<br /><br />Obviously the saying is proved in YOUR case.Furor Teutonicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13856575077967523322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-20346325073721211312010-09-16T19:50:28.144+01:002010-09-16T19:50:28.144+01:00My father was a Lancaster Pilot in 1944, shot down...My father was a Lancaster Pilot in 1944, shot down, two mates killed, on the run, captured, interrogated, seven months in a POW camp including a forced march to Berlin and a couple of unpleasant incidents at the war's end.<br /><br />He never fancied going back. Once was enough. I'm sure I will visit a few of the places from his past one day though. <br /><br />Good luck with your trip Iainthehoatzinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13080787665247014405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-31368614020628235362010-09-16T18:44:43.826+01:002010-09-16T18:44:43.826+01:00Iain, Hope this Dutch website listing war graves i...Iain, Hope this Dutch website <a href="http://www.epibreren.com/rs/rs_frame.html?oorlogsgraven.html" rel="nofollow">listing war graves in the Netherlands</a> proves interesting and useful. Please try to find time to visit some of the graves of Bomber Command aircrew shot down over the Netherlands. Most of their comrades have no known graves and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.<br />Operation Varsity was an extremely expensive success for the Glider Pilot Regiment:20-30% casualties, out of 416 gliders in 6 Airborne Division only about 90 weren't hit by groundfire. That was due to the landings being made in daylight: German light AA was excellent to the war's end.<br />Remedy for seasickness: sit under an apple tree until symptoms subside.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358349301959327747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-40797342163872619302010-09-16T18:23:02.934+01:002010-09-16T18:23:02.934+01:00You must take your Father to Ypres at 8p.m. any d...You must take your Father to Ypres at 8p.m. any day. Awesome!shelaghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00029781867103315898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-28832873754592741622010-09-16T17:17:28.085+01:002010-09-16T17:17:28.085+01:00One thing we should remember about D-day is that v...One thing we should remember about D-day is that virtually everything went wrong.<br /><br />The basic strategy went right - we caught the Germans by surprise - but thereafter all went wrong. Fortunately the German response went wrong as well.<br /><br />We should remember this when talking about modern military operations. Nothing ever goes to plan<br /><br />Appropriately bearing this in mind Mr Dale is visiting Arnhem, though we should remember the success of the airborn drop on the Rhine in 1945.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-49335213961904287302010-09-16T16:24:27.877+01:002010-09-16T16:24:27.877+01:00On Monday 21 September 2009 I posted on Arnhem and...On Monday 21 September 2009 I posted on Arnhem and Market Garden, A Risk Worth Taking, saying that it was a high risk operation that was necessary and not as too often alleged. I had the advantage of rather later serving with Hackett who had commanded 3 Parachute Brigade.Demetriushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17198549581667363991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-15218952615301517952010-09-16T15:52:16.756+01:002010-09-16T15:52:16.756+01:00Furor
Since my father was an RAF radar technician ...Furor<br />Since my father was an RAF radar technician I think he does know whether the Japanese were using radar in Burma.He was there, you weren't.<br />If you know so much can you tell me where the RAF conducted radar training during WW2?Manfaranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672026288937285646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-79832312279060614532010-09-16T15:28:43.628+01:002010-09-16T15:28:43.628+01:00Monty's autobiography doesnt mention much abou...Monty's autobiography doesnt mention much about market garden on the basis that so much had been written about it elsewhere. Even great leaders let themselves get carried away with their own hype when they have been so succesful prior to that.ulric allsebrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09062473775335374364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-9375010621032342042010-09-16T14:03:51.462+01:002010-09-16T14:03:51.462+01:00I envy you and your dad. You had been to Normandy...I envy you and your dad. You had been to Normandy and now to Arnhem. <br />I want to see these two places and am unable to do so far. As a young<br />teenager I read Cornelius Ryan books-the Longest Day and the Bridge Too Far and later saw those two films. Please enjoy your trips.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-37049960804446973252010-09-16T13:49:50.147+01:002010-09-16T13:49:50.147+01:00Manfarang said...
After the movie was over my fat...<i> Manfarang said...<br /><br />After the movie was over my father(a Burma Star man) turned to me and said,"Actually the Japanese didn't have radar".</i><br /><br />He may have had a Burma star, but, as is often proved, just because "I was there" does NOT make you a bloody expert;<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_World_War_II_radarFuror Teutonicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13856575077967523322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-58332122695127739962010-09-16T13:21:28.997+01:002010-09-16T13:21:28.997+01:00I remember years ago watching the WW2 movie 'O...I remember years ago watching the WW2 movie 'Objective Burma' with my father on the telly.It's about a group of Allied soldiers that attack and destroy a Japanese radar station.<br />After the movie was over my father(a Burma Star man) turned to me and said,"Actually the Japanese didn't have radar".Manfaranghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16672026288937285646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-65479382031592049252010-09-16T13:11:50.753+01:002010-09-16T13:11:50.753+01:00Who is that young man in the picture? anyone know?...Who is that young man in the picture? anyone know?Gordon Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17026686719065481051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6214838.post-36990665671079038642010-09-16T13:04:20.699+01:002010-09-16T13:04:20.699+01:00Get as close to the waterline and as midships as p...Get as close to the waterline and as midships as possible.<br /><br />Having said that 30 years at sea, on and off, mostly in the arctic, never been sea sick, my Great Grandfather, 53 years at sea, and the only time he was sea sick was on the Mersey ferry, with the Mersey flat as a bloody mirror!Furor Teutonicushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13856575077967523322noreply@blogger.com