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What they did for us -

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

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The last RAF pilot to fight in the Battle of Britain. Gp Capt John 'Paddy' Hemingway. 1919-2025.


The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of world war by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
WSC. August, 1940.

Salute.
 
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During the Battle of Britain, those young guys were flying Hurricanes and Spitfires with something around ten hours of flying experience. That alone should earn all of our respect. When I went through pilot training many years ago, we got 240 hours of training before we went on to train on what we were to fly in service. I actually got to fly a couple of WWII fighters and I can say from experience that those who did it back in the day were amazing. In bombers, the story was very similar. The aircraft commander was usually in his early twenties with very few flight hours before being sent into combat. I suspect that the same is true for most other branches of the service. When I was still working as an Economics professor at the University of California, I would often look out at my students and wonder what it was that made the young men and women of WWII rise to the occasion and could my students do the same thing today. I would like to think that they could.
 
Yep, most were fresh out of high school. I recall reading that "Pappy" Boyington was all of 27 when he commanded in the Pacific and his guys called him "Grandpappy", shortened to Pappy, because the oldest of his squadron was 20. So he seemed ancient to them.
 
Another example…. 22 years old and didn’t return.

nhdsilentheroes.org

Felix Philip Schlamberg - NHD Silent Heroes

Early Life Felix Philip Schlamberg was born around 1924 to Sol (Shiome) and Mollie Schlamberg and into a large Jewish family that included his seven siblings: Sally, Yetta, Jacob, Rose, … Read more
nhdsilentheroes.org nhdsilentheroes.org
 
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