Bill Hillman Presents
F.L.A.S.H.
Forces: Land ~ Air ~ Sea ~ Home
A MILITARY TRIBUTE WEBZINE . . . AS YOU WERE . . .
www.hillmanweb.com/flash
Compiled by Bill Hillman
Wherein we share an eclectic assortment of items gleaned from the
Internet, media and contributing readers.
Please send your ideas and contributions to the
FLASH. . . Editor and Webmaster: Bill Hillman: hillmans@wcgwave.ca
September 2001 Edition
CAUGHT IN OUR SITE
Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II

http://fas-history.rutgers.edu/oralhistory/orlhom.htm
The "Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II," directed by Sandra Stewart Holyoak, is an enterprise to record the personal experiences of the men and women who served on the homefront and overseas. It is based on in-depth interviews of individuals who lived through World War II, beginning with an initial target group of Rutgers College alumni and Douglass College alumnae (formerly, New Jersey College for Women). We currently feature 191 oral history interviews. 

Widows of War Living Memorial website is a place where widows of all armed conflicts can record and share their stories with people throughout the world. We invite you to wander through the memorial, gain new perspectives on war and conflict, and celebrate women as an unprecedented force for peace.


The official site of the HBO series:
BAND OF BROTHERS
http://www.hbo.com/band/episode1_landing/index_flash.html
features 3 minute trailers of:
The Battle of Britain
Combat Training
Occupation of Holland
Invasion of Sicily
The Home Front
Paratrooper ~ D-Day

It also has a section where you can submit your own story with a chance of it being featured in a future program.


VETERANS' REFERENCE CENTRE
http://www.hbo.com/band/resource_center/cmp/rc_reference.html
FIND A U.S. VETERAN FROM WWII
Listed below are the two best places to look for military records when tracking down a U.S. veteran.

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63132
 

National Archives and Records Service
8th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC 20408
Phone: (202) 523-3220
www.nara.gov
 

MIA and KIA WWII Veterans from the United States
To find out if an American soldier may have been Missing or Killed in Action during World War II, contact the agency below. They can also provide location details if the deceased is buried in a US (overseas or national) cemetery.

U.S. Total Army Personnel Command
TAPC-PED-F
2461 Eisenhower Ave, Room 984, Hoffman Bldg 1
Alexandria VA 22331

FIND A NON-U.S. VETERAN
The following sites are good starting points for getting in contact with non-U.S. veterans.
Canada: Veterans Affairs Canada
 http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/
United Kingdom: WWII United Kingdom Evacuees Registry
 http://uk-pages.net/evacuees/evacuees.html
United Kingdom: United Kingdom Ministry of Defense
 http://www.mod.uk/
Australia: Australia Department of Defense
 http://www.defence.gov.au/
France: French Ministry of Defense
 http://www.defense.gouv.fr/

The Shoah Foundation
Find out more about the effort to gather firsthand accounts of survivors, liberators, rescuers, and other eyewitnesses of the Holocaust.
www.vhf.org

The National D-Day Museum
Visit the virtual outpost of the New Orleans museum honoring the war's momentous turning point.
www.ddaymuseum.org

Airborne & Special Operations Museum
Located in Fayetteville, NC, the "Home of the Airborne" and Ft. Bragg, the museum tells the story of U.S. Army airborne and special operations from 1940 to the present.
www.asomf.org

"People at War" from the National Archives and Records Administration
Thousands of photographs and records from World War II are catalogued by theme at this NARA site.
www.nara.gov/exhall/people/people.html

"Women Come to the Front" from the Library of Congress
An exhibit featuring the contributions of American women journalists during the war.
www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0001.html

National World War II Memorial
Read the latest news, see a preview of the memorial, and find out how you can help the project.
www.wwiimemorial.com/

Private Art
Witness Private Arthur Pranger's personal account of the war - including letters, photos and scrapbook entries - as assembled by his wife and family.
www.private-art.com/

DropZone
Visit this site, dedicated to sharing the legacies of WWII airborne and Ranger veterans.
www.thedropzone.org/

Government Publications from WWII
Browse a database of posters and documents issued by the U.S. government during the war.
www.smu.edu/cul/ww2/

Atomic Bomb: Decision
Explore archival documents recounting the decision to use atomic bombs to end the war in the Pacific.
www.dannen.com/decision/

Earthstation One
Watch and listen to archival films, radio broadcasts, and war propaganda.
http://earthstation1.simplenet.com/America_WWII.html

Order Government Publications
The GPO stocks and sells over 24,000 different publications, periodicals, and subscription services. A listing of government periodicals and subscription services sold by GPO is available to U.S. citizens at no charge. Their url address is:

Superintendent of Documents, United States Government Printing Office (GPO)
Washington, DC 20402
(202) 512-1800
www.access.gpo.gov/

World War II Archives and other Resources ~ Many useful links
http://www.hist.unt.edu/w2-04rcv.htm


The Four BCATP Training Command Units

No. 1 Training Command
Formed January 1, 1940 at Toronto

No. 2 Training Command
Formed April 15, 1940 at Winnipeg, MB and Saskatoon, SK
On November 30, 1944 merged with No 4 Training command to form No 2 Air Command
Elementary Flying Training Schools
     No.2 Fort William,
     No. 6 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
     No. 14 Portage la Prarie, Manitoba
     No. 19 Virden, Manitoba
     No. 23 Davidson, Manitoba (moved to Yorkton January 1945)
     No. 26 Neepawa, Manitoba
     No. 35 Neepawa, Manitoba (RAF school incorporated into No.26)
Service Flying Training Schools
     No. 4 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (reformed from No 7 Training School)
     No. 10 Dauphin, Manitoba
     No. 11 Yorkton, Saskatchewan
     No. 12 Brandon, Manitoba
     No. 13 North Battleford, Saskatchewan
     No. 17 Souris, Manitoba
     No. 18 Gimli, Manitoba
     No. 33 Carberry, Manitoba (RAF)
     No. 35 North Battleford, Saskatchewan (RAF school incorporated into No.13)
Air Observers
     No. 5 Winnipeg, Manitoba
     No. 6 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
     No. 7 Portage la Prarie, Manitoba
Central Navigation School
     No. 1 Rivers, Manitoba
Wireless School
     No. 3 Winnipeg, Manitoba
Bombing and Gunnery Schools
     No. 3 Macdonald, Manitoba
     No. 5 Dafoe, Manitoba
     No. 7 Paulson, Manitoba

No. 3 Training Command
On January 15, 1945 merged with No 1 Training Command to form No. 1 Training Command

No. 4 Training Command
April 29, 1940 first formed at Regina, Saskatchewan
October 1, 1941 moved to Calgary Alberta
Nov 30, 1944 merged with No 2 Training Command to form No 2 Air Command

Initial Training Schools
     No. 2 Regina Saskatchewan
     No. 4 Edmonton, Alberta
Elementary Flying Training Schools
     No. 5 Lethbridge, Alberta (moved to High River, Alberta June 1941)
     No. 8 Vancouver, B.C.
     No. 15 Regina, Saskatchewan
     No. 16 Edmonton, Alberta
     No. 18 Boundary Bay, B.C.
     No. 24 Abbotsford, B.C.
     No. 25 Assiniboia, Saskatchewan
     No. 31 De Winton, Alberta (RAF)
     No. 32 Bowden, Alberta (RAF)
     No. 33 Caron, Saskatchewan (RAF)
     No. 34 Assiniboia (RAF school incorporated into No. 25)
     No. 36. Pearce, Alberta (RAF)
Service Flying Training Schools
     No. 3 Calgary, Alberta
     No. 7 Fort Macloed, Alberta
     No. 8 Weyburn, Saskatchewan
     No. 15 Claresholm, Alberta
     No. 19 Vulcan, Alberta
     No. 32 Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (RAF)
     No. 34 Medicine Hat, Alberta (RAF)
     No. 36 Penhold, Alberta (RAF)
     No. 37 Calgary, Alberta (RAF)
     No. 38 Estevan, Saskatchewan (RAF)
     No. 39 Swift Curent, Saskatchewan (RAF)
     No. 41 Weyburn, Saskatchewan (RAF school incorporated into No.8)
Flying Instructor School
     No. 2 Vulcan, Alberta (Moved to Pearce, Alberta May 1943)
Operational Training Squadron (WAC)
     No. 13 Sea Island (moved to Patricia Bay, B.C. November 1940)
Operational Training Unit (WAC)
     No. 3 Patricia Bay, B.C.
     No. 5 Boundary Bay, B.C.
     No. 6 Comox, B.C.
     No. 32 Patricia Bay, B.C. (RAF school incorporated into No.3)
Air Observers Schools
     No. 2 Edmonton, Alberta
     No. 3 Regina, Saskatchewan (moved to Pearce, Alberta in September 1942)
Wireless School
     No. 2 Calgary, Alberta
Bombing and Gunnery Schools
     No. 2 Mossbank, Saskatchewan
     No. 8 Lethbridge, Alberta
Operational Training Units (WAC)
     No. 3 Patricial Bay, B.C.
     No. 5 Boundary Bay, B.C.
     No. 6 Comox, B.C.
     No. 32 Patricial Bay, B.C.
 

References:
RCAF Squadrons and Aircraft (S. Kostenuk and J. Griffin - Canadian War Museum and Alberta Aviation Museum Archives
 


ARTHUR SZYK WWII CARTOONS
http://rutlandhs.k12.vt.us/jpeterso/Szykpage.htm
Polish born Arthur Szyk attended art school in Paris and studied Islamic art in the middle east before enlisting in the Russian Army in 1914. He served for six months and saw front-line action. After World War I he fought as an officer in a Polish guerilla regiment against the Bolsheviks and eventually located in Paris with his new wife. With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 he began producing cartoons and eventually moved to New York City. During the war he created numerous covers for Collier's magazine. For more information on Arthur Szyk go to the website of The Arthur Szyk Society.
Collier's Magazine
December 7, 1941 

Szyk's portayal of the Japanese is decidedly sinister. The Berlin/Tokyo connection is made apparent by swastikas prominently displayed on the epaulettes. 

The Invaders 

As a Bobby watches from the background a pair of Tommies (British soldiers) escort an unrepentant group of German prisoners including an SS officer, Luftwaffe fliers, a soldier and a naval officer.



This Blenheim was built in Montreal and used for gunnery training.
After the war it was purchased by a person in Manitoba.
It was loaned to the RAF at Hendon museum and refurbished.
On a test flight it crashed and now has been rebuilt.
This photo was taken in 1989 over Duxford RAF Station.
Be sure to read our sister monthly e-zine publication:

Short Bursts Monthly Online E-zine
This month's edition is at:
 http://www.hillmanweb.com/rcaf/mags

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