The Real Battle of Britain

                    

Ewan McGregor and his RAF pilot brother, Colin, relive the experiences of young airmen in a bid to find out what it was like to live and fight through the most significant air battle in British history.

The one-off documentary, The Real Battle Of Britain, was shown on BBC One this September as part of a wider season to mark the 70th Anniversary of the Second World War air campaign.

You can watch the first eight here

Facebook attempt to remember Allied soldiers killed in Belgium

A drive is underway here in Belgium to attempt to create Facebook pages for each of the 27,594 Allied soldiers who were killed in Belgium during WWII and are buried in Belgian cemeteries, men from countries including the U.S., Britain, France and Australia.

High school students are each being asked to research the lives and battles of a chosen soldier and with the help of archives kept by the Institute for Veterans, produce a Facebook page for each one with photos, audio and video. It is hoped relatives of the dead soldiers will submit whatever documents and other evidence they have.

The first Facebook page created as part of that project honors Lance Cpl. Thomas Leslie Cartwright of High Wycombe, England. Cartwright was killed in fighting in 1944and is buried in the Kasterlee War Cemetery in northern Belgium along with 99 comrades of the British Army's Royal Scots.

The plan is to have each soldier documented on Facebook by 2014, when the country will mark the 70th anniversary of Belgium's liberation.

"You are only dead if no one talks about you anymore," said Pol Van Den Driessche, a Belgian senator who launched the project, known as "Live and Remember."

Sex And Psychological Operations By The Germans

Both the Axis and Allies disributed propoganda leaflets during the war to demoralise enemy soldiers. Being young soldiers only needs were food and sex, they might have actually boosted morale. These "pinups" were probably the most collected and traded articles of the war. They were without a doubt the most widely "read" documents of the war.

The Germans prepared a set of four anti-Semitic sexually themed leaflets entitled “The girl you left behind” for use against the Allies in Italy. They Germans fired a smaller version from artillery in March 1944 and dropped a larger sized leaflet from aircraft in November 1944. They are AI-161-11-44 to AI-164-11-44. All are crude drawing in a monotone. These leaflets told the story of the mythical Sam Levy; a Jew who was growing rich and enjoying the favors of a Christian girl while her boyfriend was fighting on the front lines.
Some real interesting reading.

TANKS IN TOWN

It’s not a case of tanks or nothing.
The 9th annual Tanks in Town, an annual assembly of World War II tanks in Mons, Belgium, will draw more than just the heavy armor.
There will be the ubiquitous re-enactors, period vehicles, a military flea market, parades and thousands of onlookers for the event, to be held Aug. 25-26.
“This year we may also have some (vintage) planes,” said Pierre Deghaye, president of the Royal Mons Auto Moto Club, which, along with the city of Mons, is sponsoring the event.
The gathering commemorates the Sept. 2, 1944, liberation of Mons by the 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Armored Division. The Battle of Mons led to the defeat of 30,000 German soldiers, though their comrades would soon try to undo matters by launching an offensive that came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge.
Organizers of this year’s event opted to hold their remembrance a week earlier to avoid conflict with another across the border in France, Deghaye said.
The Mons gathering ends on the afternoon of Aug. 26 with a two-prong parade, one consisting of tanks and the other World War II vehicles, including transport trucks to motorcycles. Last year, about 25,000 people lined the two parade routes, Deghaye said.
“Once all the tanks arrive (at the city square), it’s packed,” said Cis Spook, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Garrison Benelux. “That is the highlight Sunday.”
For some visitors, it’s the day before that holds the greatest promise.
Many of the active participants in the tank and vehicle parades will offer rides to the public. A tank run is especially coveted and interested parties are encouraged to register in advance. Prices will vary depending on the vehicle.
The flea market is also scheduled for Saturday.
For more information on the rides or the weekend, go to the event Web site at: TANKS IN TOWN