Area bombing is not a dirty word.

From: ost (Chris Mark)
Date: 12/31/2003 6:12 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

From: (ArtKramr)

Nope. It is a paraphrase from a Military Tactics instructor at Cadet
school.

And here's a paraphrase from a mission briefing:

"Remember, if things get screwed up, get rid of those bombs. Find something,
anything, another target--trains, trucks, camps, emplacements, guns, troops,
anything is fair game--and drop on it. I don't care what it is. Better to
drop those bombs than bring them back here. We're not trying to save money,
it's all expendable, and we have a lot more bombs where these come from.
I want those people shook, so shook they never come out of their holes again.

If you kill them today they can't kill you tomorrow. We're not playing fair.

We're playing to win. We win by killing them. Killing them until they've
had
enough and quit. They can quit any time, but until they do we are going to
kill them anywhere and anyway we can."

Q: We're dropping to rooftop height three minutes from the target and you
said
to fire on "targets of opportunity" during that time. What is a "target of
opportunity"?

A: "Just strafe anything in your line of fire. Fire on anything that moves."

Q: Donkeys move, farmers move, women washing clothes move....

A: "You've got the idea. We've got to hit them where they live until they
drop
their ****ing guns and quit. Do you understand?"

Complete silence in the tent.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Yes, sir!






Chris Mark

I just can't see anyone in command position that blatantly advocating war
crimes. I can imagine it being hinted at, but never openly stated with that
many witnesses. They have plenty of room in Leavenworth for anyone that stupid.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired

Subject: Area bombing is not a dirty word.
From: (B2431)
Date: 12/31/03 8:24 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

From: ost (Chris Mark)
Date: 12/31/2003 6:12 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

From: (ArtKramr)

Nope. It is a paraphrase from a Military Tactics instructor at Cadet
school.

And here's a paraphrase from a mission briefing:

"Remember, if things get screwed up, get rid of those bombs. Find something,
anything, another target--trains, trucks, camps, emplacements, guns, troops,
anything is fair game--and drop on it. I don't care what it is. Better to
drop those bombs than bring them back here. We're not trying to save money,
it's all expendable, and we have a lot more bombs where these come from.
I want those people shook, so shook they never come out of their holes
again.

If you kill them today they can't kill you tomorrow. We're not playing
fair.

We're playing to win. We win by killing them. Killing them until they've
had
enough and quit. They can quit any time, but until they do we are going to
kill them anywhere and anyway we can."

Q: We're dropping to rooftop height three minutes from the target and you
said
to fire on "targets of opportunity" during that time. What is a "target of
opportunity"?

A: "Just strafe anything in your line of fire. Fire on anything that moves."

Q: Donkeys move, farmers move, women washing clothes move....

A: "You've got the idea. We've got to hit them where they live until they
drop
their ****ing guns and quit. Do you understand?"

Complete silence in the tent.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Yes, sir!






Chris Mark

I just can't see anyone in command position that blatantly advocating war
crimes. I can imagine it being hinted at, but never openly stated with that
many witnesses. They have plenty of room in Leavenworth for anyone that
stupid.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired


I have been through 50 combat briefings and never heard any such line of crap
in my life.



Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer