VJ day plus 75 years.

[Silly Moustache]

The British army fighting in the far east called themselves "The Forgotten Army".

Folks in Europe were so relieved to see the Axis defeated, and a wrecked but at last, a peaceful Europe and North Africa seemed to have forgotten that thousands upon thousands of British and Empire troops, were still fighting, and dying, and, of course, suffering the appalling treatment as the 50,000 POWs of the increasingly bitter and desperate Japanese.

The Fourteenth Army, like the Eighth Army, was made up from units that came from all corners of the Commonwealth. In 1945 the Fourteenth Army was the largest army in the Commonwealth and the largest army in the world, with about a million men under command.Three African divisions, the 81st, 82nd West African Division and 11th (East Africa) Division were attached to the army. There were many units and formations from the British Army but the majority of the army was built around the British Indian Army, which was stated to be the largest all-volunteer army in history with 2,500,000 men.

They retook Burma, and saved India from Japanese occupation. One simply cannot imagine the carnage had they not.

Today, we remember them, all.

[Steve DeRosa]

- and on our side of the pond, this iconic photo:

[12barBill]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Today, we remember them, all.

Thanks for the reminder Andy. The results from those efforts, and efforts from others during a dire time in human history, resulted in the world being saved from tyranny. Those efforts and sacrifices should never be forgotten.

[12barBill]

[frankmcr]

The land war in the Far East is probably even more forgotten in the US than in Britain. It certainly deserves to be remembered. Here's a page on the CBI Theater, as the US military called it:

http://www.cbi-theater.com/menu/cbi_home.html

[Fogducker]

7000 men died in 2 weeks taking Iwo Jima, we lost more on Okinawa. Yet there are second guessers saying we shouldn't have dropped the A-Bomb. Japan still didn't surrender after the 1st bomb. The 2nd bomb convinced them and Russia declared war on Japan right about then. Japan still hasn't got the islands back that Russia claimed back then.

President Truman did the right thing and saved millions of Americans and Japanese by making the decision to use the bombs. I was only seven and my older brother was aboard an LST in the Pacific theater. I grew up among WWII veterans. They were everywhere and people didn't think anything about them. We now know they were the greatest generation!

YES, I REMEMBER!

Fog

[Brucebubs]

Famous footage of a man dancing down the street in Sydney, Australia.
The image was used in a commemorative $1.00 coin in 2005.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

The land war in the Far East is probably even more forgotten in the US than in Britain. It certainly deserves to be remembered. Here's a page on the CBI Theater, as the US military called it:

http://www.cbi-theater.com/menu/cbi_home.html

I think some of that may depend upon location: I grew up on the West Coast, and in my family, there was a lot of discussion and mention of the battles and the brutalities of that part of the war, even though there seemed to be more film and media hours devoted to the spectacle of German rallies, the uncertainties and heroism that was a part of the war in Europe, and the horrors of the Holocaust. The shock and and sense of violation that arose from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor were also prominent features in remembrance of WWII were also very prominently mentioned in my family.

Regardless, I agree, the actions, heroism, and bravery of all those who fought in WWII deserves to be remembered. The selflessness of many during times of crisis is inspirational, and should serve as a beacon.