Comments by "Colonel K" (@Paladin1873) on "The History Chap" channel.

  1.  @fus149hammer5  A lot of folks like to rag on John Wayne for not serving in WWII, but I don't think they are privy to all the facts. Did you know Wayne tried to enlist, but Republic Studio had arranged a deferment for him because he was their major breadwinner, then they threatened him with a lawsuit for breach of contract if he persisted? He did in fact apply to work for the OSS but was turned down, although he performed a private mission for William Donovan, head of the OSS, while touring the Pacific (basically assessing MacArthur's use of OSS assets). Maybe he didn't try as hard as men like Gable, Stewart, and Niven, but they were single or widowed and without any dependents to support.
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  2. The author of the book on which the movie is based was Pierre Boulle, himself a Free French agent who was captured by Vichy loyalists in Indochina in 1943 and subjected to harsh treatment. After the war he wrote the highly fictional novel. Your recounting of some of the actual events is a rare and refreshing treat for those of us who have studied WWII history and would like to see the record set straight. To this end I'd like to tell a highly truncated companion story involving a late friend of mine who was born and raised on the island of Bali before the war. His father was the military commander of colonial Indonesian forces there, so Carl enjoyed a privileged, but strict and colorful military upbringing. As luck would have it, Carl was attending the Dutch version of West Point (or Sandhurst) in Holland when his home country was invaded by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war serving in the Underground, eventually assisting British ground forces during their drive to liberate the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the Dutch East Indies remained independent but unable to assist. This became a moot point when the Empire of Japan invaded the Indonesian island chain in January of 1942. His father's engineering battalion retreated to the jungles and fought the Japanese for months until their supplies ran out. After their surrender they became part of the group of Dutch POWs who were pressed into constructing the Railway of Death. Carl would not see his father again until he returned to the Far East following the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was then that he learned the details of his father's plight. Major (later Colonel) Hazenberg's experiences in many ways mirrored those of both LTC (Brigadier) Toosey and the fictional Colonel Nicholson. When he refused to order his men to work on the railway, he was beaten and put in a hot box, but he did not break. Eventually the camp commander had to negotiate a deal with him. In exchange for their labor, he promised adequate rations and medical care, an action which saved many lives. When the war ended the Japanese commander surrendered his sword to Major Hazenberg, who later gave it to his son, Carl. I have seen and handled this sword, which remains in the family to this day.
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  3. They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them. (Laurence Binyon 1869 - 1943)
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  4. It was an excellent movie, believable rather than over the top.
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  5. I remember seeing him in a lot of war movies while I was growing up, but I never knew he had been a POW.
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  6.  @TheHistoryChap  Soon all such memories of the past will be lost, save for those few fragments we post in the ether we call the internet.
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  7. I was aware of his bravery in two wars but light on the details. Thanks for the video.
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  8. When I was in college in the 1970s I had a chance to buy one of Vorbeck's campaign hats, but I lacked the necessary funds.
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