World War II Thread

What, in your opinion, was the best World War IIunit?

By this, I mean, men and equipment, elan [fighting spirit], special training [if any], war role etc.

I would ask that those of you who reply should, pretty please, confine your comments to the thread and not expand it onto or into another topic.

For example, 'C' Squadron, The Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, took on the mighty Afrika Corps, their '88's and Mk IIIs with just Stuart Mk IIs. Despite aweful losses, the RGH managed to gain their objective and fought off strong German counter-attacks while the rest of the Desert Rats swept through Rommel's defences at El Alemein.

A very good friend of mine, a guy called Ken Smith, was a tank commander. He told me that the much vaunted 88s began picking them [Stuarts] off one by one, during the advance to contact. He personally had 3 shot out from under him during the 2 day battle. Only a massive rolling barrage of 25 pdr guns and the infantry who almost dismounted on the objective from clapped out Bren Gun Carriers, saved the day.

So there you have it. I am not going to mention the obvious choices - I'll leave that to you.

Have fun.

Oh, finally somebody who is interested in WW2... Well, I love the SAS forces, of course the DD tanks used in Normandy, But the 1st place is taken by the British 617 dambuster squadron...

I love the thopson and the BAR, but the springfield is an exellent sniper... Oh, the 82nd and 101st airborne and the Bedford boys who sacraficed their lives in Normandy...

I am not surprised FighterMaster that so few are interested in WWII.

Let's face it my friend - today's kids or young adults only seem to be interested in quick fixes and yet know next to nothing about world events
outside of their own borders.

I think it is a shame that the youth of today, know next to nothing about the Deathcamps of Nazi Germany or Stalins own holocaust.

Political Correctness has a lot to do with it, I am sure.

Enough! Back to your reply. Personally, I believe 617 Sqn was over rated. Apart from the raids of the Tirpitz and the dams, 617 was just another bomber sqn.

633 (Beauforts then Mosquito) Sqn was more famous. They managed to take out a 'heavy water plant' in Norway and were wiped out almost to a man. [Later, their story was made into a film]

I believe that, for their size and the destruction and havouc they caused behind the lines, 1 SAS have to be, in my opinion, the best unit of WWII.

Paras and Commandos were large scale units, fighting conventional battles.

The DDs you mention were part of a much bigger armoured Corps and really should not count. Sorry!

fritz...
Perhaps if you posted it in the proper forum, you would get more response or interest in this?

Weaponry
Military weapons technology past, present, and future.

seekerof

Seekeroff dear boy - it is in the correct posting or listing.

Yeah, well the DD were still a so good invention in my opinion... And about the 617 sqd, Those things are what makes them special... To destroy Tripiz, the most feared ship in Europe... Camoon, it counts for something, and if those dams wouldn't have been destroyed they (germans) would have had a hell of a lot of extra power... So what do you think of the bomb... it was a really interesting... How it dieved under the water and then jumpped up again... And the engineer designed a hell of a lost of different things exept that... He designed the pre-model for the bunker buster... So, what do you think about the S.O.E...?

True about those youth thing... I know... But that doesnt mean that there are exeptions... I am for inctance only 15...

The Tuskegee AIrman, for what they had to go thruogh before during and after the war, and the excellent and decorated record they had while in service.

Tho personally i really only know a lot about the air units, and not the ground units invovled

and are we talking European or pacific WWII? big differance IMHO