Today's discussion questions

[sabotabby]

It's another one of those long days at school and I won't be around, so here are two discussion questions for you. Fight talk amongst yourselves.

1. What do we think of this news story? There's a lot in there, so let's pick it to pieces.

2. Speaking of genocide, the Toronto District School Board has a new history course dealing with the subject. It officially recognizes three genocides: Armenia, the Holocaust, and Rwanda. What's missing, and why do you think they chose to exclude the genocide that happened in the country where the course will be taught.

Have a happy Friday!

Comments

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

There were significant USAAF bombing operations carried out from bases in the UK and Italy. (In fact my local hospital where I grew up was built by the USAAF). The problem would have been that any kind of precision operation would have had to be carried out in daylight, which means, in effect, by the Americans. To avoid very high loss rates they would have needed fighter escorts. The range (round trip) of a P51D with external tanks was 2600km so SE Britain to Poland would have been theoretically possible. I don't think it would have been practical though as, in practice, the Luftwaffe would probably have engaged the escorts over Western Europe on the outbound leg forcing the pilots to ditch the external tanks (aircombat with external tanks on isn't really feasible) and turn back early leaving the bombers exposed.

[shelestel.livejournal.com]

That (and what's before that) is illuminating, thanks. In a somewhat loosely related historical note, the U.S. (I'm quoting Norman Finkelstein here (as in "I don't really know anything on the subject myself")) did not support Israel much prior to 1967, when it began using it as a strategic ally.

[terry-terrible.livejournal.com]

Another possibility could have been sending the bombers to Russian held territory to refuel after the mission. Churchill suggested doing as much when to Stalin during the Warsaw uprising (except sending supply planes instead). But Stalin, true to his character, denied that there was even an uprising happening at the time to Churchill's emissary (who was the head of the London based Polish goverment).

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I was aware of the history of trying to use Russian bases for air operations so considered that to be a non starter from the off. The Russians wouldn't even allow British planes to be based on their territory to cover the Arctic convoys.