Write to live, live to write.


AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY Sunday, September 27, 2009


Yesterday was the official end of Market Garden.
It had been planned to last for about three days. It ended up with 9 days spent and still the XXX Corps didn't reach Arnhem or even the rest of the 1st Airborne Division. At Arnhem, John Frost had surrendered on the 21st, I think. They were just supposed to hold out for 2 days against weak, undertrained or overexhausted German Battalions. Against two well-armed Panzer Divisions, they held out for 4.
A note on casualties: Amongst the Arnhem Force (Urquhart's 1st Brit Airborne, 2st Polish Parachute brigade, and the glider pilots) which numbered 10005 at first, 7758 were casualties. RAF pilot and crew losses: 294. XXX Corps: 1480. Brit 8th and 12th Corps: 3874.
Americans: Gavin's 82nd Airborne: 1432. Taylor's 101st Airborne: 2118. Air crew: 424.
Germans: Unknown, but estimated casualties in Arnhem and Oosterbeek are about 3300.
At Nijmegen, Eindhoven and the rest, casualties estimated at 7500-10000.

Total: (taking 7500 as 'the rest') 28180.
All this for a (roughly) 30 mile road leading to nowhere.

~Today in History~
1940: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy.

~Quote of the Day~
out of ammo, God save the King
The last radio message from Arnhem, only heard by German radio interceptors, before John Frost surrendered at the bridge.

~Useless Fact of the Day~
Student Robert Ricketts, 19, had his head bloodied when a train struck him. He told police he was trying to see how close to the moving train he could place his head without getting hit.


>>Forgotten by04:23


Random Profile.

The Lone Ranger

02 12 1995
Right. Let's see. I like WWII, Band of Brothers, and anything to do with either of them. And Writing.

Random presents.

-Any WWII Book (that I don't already have)
-The movie Paper Moon
-The Band of Brothers soundtrack
-One hundred dollars

Random dreams.

-Top Singapore for O Levels/A Levels
-Get into VJC
-Get a story published
-GO TO EUROPE/AMERICA
-Visit all the places I want to visit before I die
-Make a million dollars in five years
-Amass a huge quantity of WWII relics
-Get as many books as possible
-Watch all WWII movies

Random Quotes.

-No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
-Two kinds of people are staying on this beach, the dead and those who are gonna die. Now lets get the hell outta here.
-Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”
-We are not retreating -- we are advancing in another direction.
-You can't say civilization isn't advancing; in every war they kill you in a new way.
-War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
-Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who'll fight.
-Death solves all problems - no man, no problem.
-If you are going through hell...keep going.
-Better to fight for something than live for nothing.
-In a man-to-man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine.
-Diplomats are just as essential in starting a war as soldiers are in finishing it.

Random Map.

Random Top Tens.



Top ten movies:
-Band of Brothers
-Saving Private Ryan
-A Bridge Too Far
-The Longest Day
-Saints and Soldiers
-The Great Escape
-Flags of our Fathers
-Kelly's Heroes
-Patton
-The Battle of the Bulge
Top ten Books:
-Band of Brothers
-D-Day
-Citizen Soldiers
-Beyond Band of Brothers
-Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends
-A Bridge Too Far
-The Longest Day
-The Longest Winter
-Flags of Our Fathers
-Letters from Iwo Jima

Random people.

Eugene Lim
Deepak
Arunima
Tharun
Emelia
Kai Yin
Rosalinda
Jing Yi(rather dead)
Grace
Genevieve
Pheodora
Pearl
Shavonne
Joy
Melody Seet
Bryna
Rachel cough-pervert-cough Tan
Amelia (Sec 1D 09)
One Charity 08
Two Faith 09
Solo Magazine
My Stories
The Infocomm blog
Skatezone
The truth about lies (story)
Smile (story)

Random Archives.

December 2007
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Random Credits.

BetaBlogger
Yiann



It's a (ahem) free country.




Random Music.


MusicPlaylist
Music Playlist at MixPod.com