Subject: WWII-L Digest - 10 Aug 1994 to 11 Aug 1994

From: Automatic digest processor <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 1994 00:00:52 -0400

There are 15 messages totalling 567 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

  1. INF: Japanese Troops hiding out
  2. ENOLA GAY (7)
  3. Command confirmation request (7B196A)
  4. Happy "Foot in Mouth" Day
  5. GEN: Letter to the editor
  6. German squad vs. U.S. Squad
  7. [INF] USAAF 12 AUG 44
  8. INFO:YAP ISLAND
  9. WOMEN IN JAPANESE

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Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 11:14:00 BST
From:    AGNES DAY <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: INF: Japanese Troops hiding out

On a similar theme: Charles Whiting's book 'The march on London',
published in London by Leo Cooper, 1992, is an account of the break outs
of German p.o.w.s in 1944 and 1945 and has some interesting stories of
prisoners who remained in Britain after the war.

Suzy

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 07:42:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: ENOLA GAY

According to the Associated Press, 18 Republican and 6 Democratic
members of the House of Representatives have written a letter to
Smithsonian Institution Secretary Robert McCormick Admans complaining
about the way in which the exhibit of the ENOLA GAY, the B-29 that
dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, portrays Japan as an innocent
victim of the atomic bomb.  The 24 legislatures stated that they want
the exhibit altered before it opens 9 months from now to include more
about the suffering the Japanese imposed on the U.S. and Asian
nations during the war.  The 24 members of Congress also complained
that the exhibit underplays the importance the bomb played in
ending the war and thereby saving the lives of many US and Japanese.

The exhibit has been revised once because of complaints from veterans
groups and historians but the lawmakers said, "The planners of this
exhibit ignored many of the constructive criticisms.  The revised
version still does not give a balanced perspective of the events
surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

In the letter, the 24 Congressmen complain that the planned exhibit
includes 84 pages of text and 97 photographs illustrating the
suffering of the Japanese but less than 1 page and 8 photographs
illustrating the suffering that the Japanese inflicted on their
enemies.

Smithsonian spokesman Mike Fetters said, "We're still continuing to
talk with veterans groups and other interested parties and there's
not any feeling by the museum that we can't still make some changes."

The ENOLA GAY exhibit is scheduled to last 9 months and will
include hundreds of photographs and historical descriptions about the
development of the B-29 and of the atomic bomb, the decision to
unleash the weapon, and the damage and suffering it inflicted.

The 24 Representatives who signed the letter are:

Arkansas: Tim Hutchinson and Jay Dickey, Republicans
California: Stephen Horn and Duncan Hunter, Republicans
Florida: Charles Canady and Tillie Fowler, Republicans
Georgia: Nathan Deal, Democrat
Idaho: Mike Crapo, Republican
Indiana: Steve Buyer, Republican
Kentucky: Scotty Baesler, Democrat
Massachusetts: Peter Blute, Republican, the author of the letter
New Hampshire: Dick Swett, Democrat
New York: Jack Quinn, John McHugh, Bill Paxon, David Levy, Susan
  Molinari and Peter King, all Republicans
Ohio: Martin Hoke and Rob Portman, Republicans and James Traficant,
  Democrat
Pennsylvania: Tim Holden and Ron Klink, Democrats
Texas: Dick Armey, Republican

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 08:49:42 -0400
From:    Ron Babuka <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ENOLA GAY

>Smithsonian spokesman Mike Fetters said, "We're still continuing to
>talk with veterans groups and other interested parties and there's
>not any feeling by the museum that we can't still make some changes."
>

I would also suggest purchasing the current issue of Smithsonian Air and
Space magazine.  The Smithsonian submitted a 4 page article addressing
their point of view in regards to the theroy and design of the Enola Gay
display.  I would perfer not to paraphrase it, but to let the intrested
parties read the article and form their own opinion.  There is one opinion
though, that I would like throw out, is that from the article the major
veterans group involved, The Air Force Association, seemed to act
questionably and irresponsibly when the association reviewed the draft of
the display.  As always there are two sides to every story.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Babuka                                         National Warplane Museum
Cornell University                                 Geneseo, New York
CIT - Information Resources
Ithaca, New York 14850
(607) 254-6492

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 09:03:00 EDT
From:    "Dave Ausman, Programmer Analyst" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Command confirmation request (7B196A)

         Georgetown University Information Systems(7-4012)
okay

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 10:15:30 EST
From:    rick robinson <[email-masked]>
Subject: Happy "Foot in Mouth" Day

Subject: Happy "Foot in Mouth" Day

 I realize this in not quite on 'topic', but I thought everyone might
 get a chuckle from it--

 :TODAY IN HISTORY

    Today is Thursday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 1994. There are 142
 days left in the year.
    Today's highlight in history:

    Ten years ago: During a voice test for a paid political radio
 address, President Reagan joked that he had "signed legislation that
 will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

 ===>>> I wonder what this button does.....adf;akjlrewq098132|#@($

 Rick Robinson/KD4GNK (TSG/KyANG retired)
 Tape Librarian, DOIM -- Fort Knox, Kentucky  40121-5000
 [email-masked] / [email-masked]

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 14:38:21 -0400
From:    Barone <[email-masked]>
Subject: GEN: Letter to the editor

        Yesterday, the local paper printed a letter from Thomas Allison
of Newport, RI.  The letter was probably prompted by the recent Victory Day
celebrations.  I've reprinted it below.

        I should add that the editorial for that day endorsed the attempts
to change the name of the holiday to "Bay Day" (in commemoration of one day
of free beaches at the state parks) from VJ or Victory Day.  The editor is
under the impression that keeping the old name merely serves to remind people
of the animosity between the two countries rather than as a reminder of peace.
The editor continued his argument by indicating that there was already a
Veterans Day and Memorial Day.  He did add that he was not trying to denigrate
the service and sacrifice of those who lived through that period.  I don't
think this afterthought will help his case.  I await the various responses
that are sure to appear in the paper!

        "Pilot's action was typical of World War II spirit"

"To the Editor:

        "The war with Japan was coming to a rapid conclusion and Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's staff had completed the details for the formal
surrender aboard the battleship Missouri.  The massive Third Fleet
was moving into Japanese waters and docking pilots were on standby
to take U.S. Navy's men-of-war through the mine fields for safe mooring.
The American aircraft carriers were ordered to remain at sea in the
event of a last-minute fanatic attack.

        "The occupation forces were well-informed and prepared to make
landings on Aug. 26, 1945.  Gen MacArthur planned that the first landing
party would have the honor of an air drop on Atsugi Airfield while
Admiral William Halsey's forces, augmented by U.S. Navy Bluejackets
would go ashore at Yokosuka.  These Navy landing battalions were common
in the days prior to the formation of the Marine Corps.

        "Foul weather on Aug. 26 caused the general to set the landings
back two days but this did not stop a young reserve junior lieutenant
from the carrier Yorktown.  This rascal was launched as part of a special
combat air patrol in the event that a frenzied group of Kamikazes were
to try to surprise the U.S. fleet.  The war was over and the daring young
airman, with no aspirations about a career in the peace-time Navy, flew
solo to an unauthorized landing at Atsugi Air Station on Aug. 27.  The
lieutenant convinced the Japanese that he was part of an advanced
occupation force.  He then instructed them to print and erect a four-
foot sign and rig it around the perimeter of the airfield.

        "The following day paratroopers from the 11th Airborne landed
6,000 strong and were bewildered when they read the sign -- 'The Third
Fleet Welcomes the U.S. Army to Japan.'

        "Intense research failed to reveal this pilot's name so we
will accept his action as typical of the attitude and fighting spirit
of American men in that long war.  At the time of the attack on Pearl
Harbor the Japanese Army thought the average American did not have the
will to fight and the U.S. would have to sue for an early peace treaty."
--
Joe Barone
[email-masked]
When we go into battle, we like to play music.  Loud music.  We find
that it calms us...

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 17:46:35 -0400
From:    Dan Ford <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ENOLA GAY

Be warned! This is a press release, not a news story.

            - Dan      <[email-masked]>

AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM CONTINUES REVISIONIST LINE ON WORLD WAR II
Source: PR      Date: Aug 10, 1994              Time: 11:37 am

  ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Smithsonian Institution's
National Air and Space Museum continues to ignore criticism from veterans
groups, military historians, and members of Congress directed at its plans
for a 1995 exhibit that takes a revisionist approach to the atomic bombing
of Japan in World War II.
  In an upcoming article in AIR FORCE Magazine, Editor in Chief John
Correll writes that the revised plans for the museum's exhibit, recently
renamed "The Last Act:  The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II,"
still include a unilateral emphasis on Japanese suffering in the war and
excessive use of provocative Ground Zero pictures and artifacts.  In
contrast, the plans only pay slight attention to events prior to 1945.
  According to Correll, the curators have chosen to use the Enola Gay, the
B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb in World War II, as a prop in "an
emotionally charged program about the atomic bomb."  The revised script is
still unbalanced and still fails to provide adequate historical context
for understanding the events of August 1945.
  Air Force Association Executive Director Monroe Hatch, Jr., said, "How
can anyone watch the last act of a play and fully understand what the play
is all about?  Such a treatment provides neither context nor balance."
The museum's "Last Act" devotes less than one page out of 295 text pages
to explaining Japanese military activities and atrocities. By contrast, it
uses 84 pages and 97 photos to hammer away at Japanese suffering from the
atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
  While Correll cites some minor improvements in the new exhibit script,
he points out that some of the most offensive passages have been only
slightly modified.  For example, the original script stated:
  "For most Americans, this war was fundamentally different
   from the one waged against Germany and Italy -- it was a war
  of vengeance.  For most Japanese, it was a war to defend
   their unique culture against Western imperialism."
   The new script allows the following changes:
  "For most Americans, this war was different from the one
   waged against Germany and Italy:  it was a war to defeat a
   vicious aggressor, but also a war to punish Japan for Pearl
   Harbor and for the brutal treatment of Allied prisoners.
   For most Japanese, what had begun as a war of imperial
   conquest had become a battle to save their nation from
   destruction."
  Despite such minor changes, the "tilt" of the exhibit is highly
partisan, Correll writes.  He notes that the script is interspersed with
"Historical Controversies," such as:  Would the Bomb Have Been Dropped on
the Germans?  Did the Demand for Unconditional Surrender Prolong the War?
How Important Was the Soviet Factor in the Decision to Drop the Bomb?  Was
a Warning or Demonstration Possible?  Was an Invasion Inevitable Without
the Bomb?  Was the Decision to Drop the Bomb Justified?
  Overall, Correll concludes, the undertone is one of suspicion about why
the United States used the atomic bomb.  In fact, "museum officials have
seemed reluctant to accept the explanation that it was a military action,
taken to end the war and save lives."
  Correll also points out that museum officials have been
mischaracterizing the views of military historians, especially those of
Air Force Historian Dr. Richard Hallion.  Contrary to out-of-context
remarks ascribed to him by museum officials, Hallion states, "The overall
impression gained from 'The Last Act' is that the Japanese, despite years
of aggression and wanton atrocities and brutality, remain the victims.
The culprits in this version of history are the American strategic bombing
campaign (against civilians) and those who directed and implemented it."

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 18:13:35 EDT
From:    Alan Wild <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ENOLA GAY

It's hammer time,...   no, put away your Thompson, Jim.

Does anyone have an address of who to write at the Smithsonian?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Wild, LAN Mgr.  Father of 1.8815          Voice:          (401) 792-2611
ACC - Lippitt - URI  American Legion Post 102. FAX:            (401) 792-5479
Kingston, RI  02881  NRA Life Member           BITNET:           AWild@URIACC
                                               Internet: [email-masked]

"Duties and responsibilities were woven into the fabric of pre-D-Day living.
It was a self-disciplined, free society that those troops cherished, and they
fought a war for it.

The Woodstock celebrants won a cultural war eliminating both the standards
of, and the respect for, self-discipline.

The spoils of that victory are numerous and devastating.
                                                          -John A. Howard
                                                           Rockford Institute
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 19:21:02 EDT
From:    [email-masked]
Subject: German squad vs. U.S. Squad

                   Tell me your opinion

Do you think that the typical German infantry or Panzergrenadier squad
(Gruppe)of 1944 -45 was better in terms of equipment, training, fire power,
etc than the typical U.S. infantry squadof 1944-45?

Barring support from heavy weapons which would win in battle?

Thanks
 Matthew Gajkowski

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 20:57:00 EDT
From:    mc killop <[email-masked]>
Subject: [INF] USAAF 12 AUG 44

COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES
SATURDAY, 12 AUGUST 1944
FTP SITES
  1. ftp.rutgers.edu in directory pub/wwii/usaf
  2. byrd.mu.wvnet.edu (129.71.32.152) in pub/history/military/airforce/
     wwii_chronology

AIRCRAFT MENTIONED IN THIS REPORT:
  A-20, Douglas Havoc
  B-17, Boeing Flying Fortress
  B-24, Consolidated Liberator
  B-25, North American Mitchell
  B-26, Martin Marauder
  F-7, Consolidated Liberator
  L-5, Stinson Sentinel
  P-38, Lockheed Lightning
  P-39, Bell Airacobra
  P-40, Curtiss
  P-47, Republic Thunderbolt
  P-51, North American Mustang
  P-61, Northrop Black Widow

AMERICAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  ALASKA (Eleventh Air Force): In the Kurile Islands, 4 B-24s and 2 F-7As
over Paramushiru and Shimushu Islands hit targets which include shipping in
Higashi Banjo Strait and buildings and runway on Suribachi; enemy fighters
give battle; the B-24s score 3 kills and 13 probables and damaged; 6 more
B-25s fly an uneventful shipping sweep and take photos over Shimushiru
Island.

CHINA-BURMA-INDIA (CBI) THEATER OF OPERATIONS

  BURMA-INDIA (Tenth Air Force): In Burma, about 20 fighter-bombers hit
Shwekyina, damage a bridge near Manla, bomb railroad yards at Pinwe, strafe a
river boat near Bhamo, and attack troops in the Myothit area; 24 fighter-
bombers support ground forces in the Taungni-Pinbaw area. The 427th Night
Fighter Squadron, Tenth Air Force, arrives at Pomigliano, Italy with P-61s;
the squadron will fly missions in the MTO for training before arriving in the
CBI Theater.

  CHINA (Fourteenth Air Force): In China, 7 B-25s bomb the railroad yards at
Hengyang; 19 P-51s and P-40s hit targets of opportunity in this area; 39
P-40s attack various targets of opportunity at Chiuchiang, Yungfengshih,
Loyang, Siangtan, and Tengchung.

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): The shuttle-bombing mission UK-
USSR-Italy-UK is completed; of the 72 B-17s taking off from Fifteenth AF
bases in Italy, 3 have various problems; the others bomb Toulouse/Francazal
Airfield, France and then proceed to the UK; 62 P-51s (part of the shuttle-
mission force) and 43 from the UK provide escort; no aircraft are lost; 70
B-17s and 58 P-51s land in the  UK; 5 B-17s and 6 P-51s, either left in Italy
or returning there during this mission, subsequently return to the UK.
  Mission 545: 577 bombers and 436 fighters are dispatched to make visual
attacks on the Metz marshalling yard and airfield in C and E France; 3
bombers and 3 fighters are lost (number in parenthesis are the number of
bombers attacking the target):
  1. 276 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Mourmelon (75), Laon/Athies
(63), Laon/Couvron (61) and Juvincourt (52); 3 B-24s are lost, 1 is damaged
beyond repair and 46 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 7 WIA and 32 MIA.
  2. 301 B-17s are dispatched to hit airfields at Chaumont (72), Buc (67), La
Perthe (58) and Etampes/Mondesir (12); 69 hit the Metz marshalling yard; 1
B-17 is damaged beyond repair and 28 damaged; 9 airmen are KIA and 1 WIA.
  The 2 groups above are escorted by 386 P-47s and P-51s; they claim 1-0-0
Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).
  Mission 546: 6 of 6 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
  486 P-38s, P-47s and P-51s attack transportation targets in the Paris and
Brussels areas; they claim 5-0-0 aircraft in the air and 13-0-0 on the
ground; 1 P-38s, 5 P-47s and 7 P-51s are lost (pilots are MIA).
  220 P-47s and P-51s attack transportation targets in NE France; 2 P-51s are
lost (pilots are MIA) and 3 are damaged beyond repair.
  1 fighter group escorts Ninth Air Force B-26s.
  The 850th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 490th Bombardment Group (Heavy),
moves from Harrington to Eye, England with B-24s.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Ninth Air Force): In France, A-20s and B-26s attack
Oissel rail bridge, Corbeil-Essonnes refueling siding, and numerous points
along highways in the Argentan area with the aim of bottling up enemy troops;
fighters fly ground forces cover and armed reconnaissance over wide areas
of W and N France, also escort IX Bomber Command aircraft; HQ IX Tactical Air
Command moves from Canisy to Coulouvray; the 14th Liaison Squadron, XIX
Tactical Air Command (attached to Third Army), moves from Poilley to St
Germain with L-5s; and the 377th Fighter Squadron, 362d Fighter Group, moves
from Lignerolles to Rennes with P-47s. The 425th Night Fighter Squadron, IX
Air Defense Command, moves from Scorton to Stoneman Park, England with P-61s.

MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTO)

  STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Fifteenth Air Force): Almost 550 fighter-escorted
B-17s and B-24s attack targets in France and Italy; the B-17s bomb gun
positions in the Savona, Italy area; B-24s attack gun positions in the Genoa,
Italy and the Marseille, Toulon, and Sete areas of France; 100+ P-51s strafe
radar installations and other coast-watching facilities along the French S
coast; these and Twelfth AF strikes are preparatory to Operation DRAGOON.

  TACTICAL OPERATIONS (Twelfth Air Force): Medium bombers, A-20s, and
fighter-bombers attack targets, mainly gun positions, in the battle area N of
the Arno River and in S France.

PACIFIC OCEAN AREA (POA, Seventh Air Force): Saipan Island-based B-24s hit
shipping, seaplane base, and airfield at Chichi Jima Island, Bonin Islands.
B-25s pound Pagan Island while P-47s hit Rota Island. B-24s from the Marshall
Islands bomb Truk Atoll while Gilbert Island-based B-25s pound Nauru Island.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA [SWPA, Far East Air Force (FEAF)]: In New Guinea,
long-range reconnaissance is greatly increased thanks to the strategic
position of newly acquired Schouten Islands bases; B-24s pound the airfield
at Babo while B-25s and P-39s hit Nabire Airfield; other P-39s attack
defenses at Mansinam Island and shore concentrations along W Geelvink Bay;
P-47s support ground operations in the area of Sansapor Point by bombing
Dore; A-20s and P-47s hit forces and targets of opportunity in the Sarmi area
and along the Metimedan River; A-20s and P-39s attack troops at Haur, coastal
targets in cooperation with motor torpedo (PT) boats, and fuel dumps at
Boram; and the 321st and 400th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 90th
Bombardment Group (Heavy), move from Nadzab to Biak Island with B-24s.

SOURCES:
AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force History,
  Headquarters USAF, 1961, ISBN 0-912799-02-1
COMBAT SQUADRONS OF THE AIR FORCE, WORLD WAR II, Office of Air Force
  History, Headquarters USAF 1982
THE ARMY AIR FORCES IN WORLD WAR II: COMBAT CHRONOLOGY, 1941-1945 by the
  Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1973
THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY by Roger A. Freeman, ISBN 1-85409-071-2

Jack McKillop
USAF (Airways and Air Communications Service)
1955-59

-------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Jack McKillop         |  Those who have long enjoyed such      |
|  Bellcore              |  privileges as we enjoy forget in      |
|  Piscataway, NJ USA    |  time that men have died to win them.  |
|  [email-masked]  |                       FDR              |
-------------------------------------------------------------------

12/0059Z AUG

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 21:03:33 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: INFO:YAP ISLAND

I don't recall reading or hearing anything about the waters around Yap, but I
know that the waters in Truk's harbor contains a treasure trove of Jap ships
which were sunk there and also aircraft which were shot down in the water off
Truk. I do know that some of the best scuba diving to be had in the work is
around the reef off of the island of Peleliu. I understand that scuba divers
from all over world head for Peleliu. (Word after ...in the in previous
sentence is world vice work. Ben Frank

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 21:07:41 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: WOMEN IN JAPANESE

I am afraid that any scholar of WWII in the Pacific has to take this with a
large portion of salt. In all the reading I have done about the various
campaigns, and certainly Guadalcanal is one I have researched fairly deeply, no
where is there any evidence of Japanese women with the troops, not even from
the comfort brigade. Ben Frank

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 21:29:01 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ENOLA GAY

I am afraid that your information concerning the actions of the Air Force
Association in reviewing the Enola Gay exhibit script is incorrect. I have seen
the correspondence between the Association and the museum, and I must say that
the review was excellent, complete, scholarly, and to the point. I am one of
the Service historians who reviewed the second script, and as a WWII vet, as
well as a military historian, I found much in the exhibit script which bothered
me and which I felt needed correcting. That is all I will say about the matter.
Ben Frank

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 21:45:55 -0400
From:    Ben Frank <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: ENOLA GAY

The man to write to is Martin Harwit. Ben Frank

------------------------------

Date:    Thu, 11 Aug 1994 22:12:29 -0500
From:    Bill Smith <[email-masked]>
Subject: ENOLA GAY

Wading in hip-deep once again . . .

Having read the Air and Space explanation piece gives me little solace on
the general tone of what is proposed by NASM.  I've posted a similar
opinion before, let me rephrase it here, that if you display the plane,
that's one thing.  If you plan a display on the atomic bomb, that's
another.  If you plan a display on strategic bombing, yet another.

I do not feel it is unfair, even at this "early" stage, to charge the
NASM with a gross sensationalism and the advocation of a particular
revisionist history.  (To paraphrase the A&S editorial, the whole point
is not to provide history to the veterans but to interpret it for the
generations which followed and, one assumes, requires a different viewpoint.)

The vehicle for this is the public fascination with the Enola Gay.  It's
a mystery, kept under lock and key and out of public view.  Therefore,
many will flock to see it.  With a captive audience, well, you get the
picture.

And we will get many pictures -- lots of photos of victims of the
bombing.  Can we have a hall of photos of randomly selected GIs, sort of
a reverse Holocaust Museum display, who didn't die as a result of the bomb.

My temp. is up after seeing the video at NASM right now which covers the
restoration of the Enola Gay.  It's script is not as blatent as the
excerpts of the proposed.  But a few choice passages:
        Several mentions of the destruction, the known capability of the bomb,
the "irrational secrecy" of training missions for the 409th -- in essense, many
negatively constructed lines about the bomb.
        While these ominous tones are given ample play, there is only one
mention of why the bomb was dropped:  "to hasten the war's end."  No mention of
the impact (i.e., lives saved on both sides) of "hasten"-ing.
        The only two clips of victims you see in this video are of children.
And it seems more than coincidental.  Why don't we see adult victims --
well, there's nothing more pitiful than a wounded child.

That is what disgusts and disturbs me the most about this entire sordid
little tiff.  The genuine hard work involved -- the weapon, the plane,
the soldiers -- and the clear result achieved -- a war ended within a
week -- are lost in a morality play scripted to heighten emotionalism.
The twisted girders, the haunting atomic shadows of humans, aren't
enough.  Show us some blistered kids. And in turn, quite a bit of time is
spent by both sides carrying this argument to greater peaks of frustration.

Said it before -- say it again -- USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, the
atomic bomb display and Bock's Car.  Tasteful.  Accurate.  Chilling.

------------------------------

End of WWII-L Digest - 10 Aug 1994 to 11 Aug 1994
*************************************************