Real World BoB Hurricane Pilot's views on SOW

[AndyJWest]

Wouldn't it just be the icing on the cake if BoB SoW could be seen/enjoyed/commented on ... even endorsed by some the last remaining Few?

Seen//enjoyed/commented on - no problem.

Endorsed? I hope people have more sense than to ask BoB veterans to make endorsements of commercial products. WW2 isn't some sort of franchise to be hawked around the globe...

[StkNRdr]

I understand the comment about getting an endorsement. Doesn't need to be a BoB pilot. There are plenty of guys currently flying WWII warbirds. It would be nice to know what they think about the sim.

[Avimimus]

In a sense though, Oleg is creating a great historical masterwork - a detailed reconstruction of the war which brings out features that no book or artefact can. He is helping pass on and keep alive the memory and study of the war.

So, endorsement of the historical project and its value certainly isn't out of line.

Especially contra certain large military companies attempting to charge fees from anyone attempting to depict the use of certain pieces of equipment that citizens died in while fighting during the war.

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by AndyJWest

Seen//enjoyed/commented on - no problem.

Endorsed? I hope people have more sense than to ask BoB veterans to make endorsements of commercial products. WW2 isn't some sort of franchise to be hawked around the globe...

Fair point Andy. Yes, 'endorsed' perhaps conjures up the wrong image. I guess what I mean is "proud/happy/pleased to be associated with". In the same way as a TV documentary on the Battle of Britain will feature 'talking heads' of some of the Few to lend weight/historical significance/accuracy/interest etc. to the subject matter, could not the same be done for this game?

Geoff Wellum was very happy for his book to be made into a TV Docu Drama and said it was probably the most realistic rendition of the Battle of Britain he'd seen. The same will hopefully be said about SoW. I just think it would be great if it could be said by one of the Few. And if they make some money out of it, I certainly wouldn't hold that against them.

PPanPan

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by PeterPanPan

I just think it would be great if it could be said by one of the Few. And if they make some money out of it, I certainly wouldn't hold that against them.

I'm all for any Vets getting money for their stories or whatever they want to give, but not for an endorcement, as it cheapens their opinion - ie, "here's $x if you say you like this" gets in the way of them giving their honest opinion.

[swiss]

Originally Posted by Triggaaar

I'm all for any Vets getting money for their stories or whatever they want to give, but not for an endorcement, as it cheapens their opinion - ie, "here's $x if you say you like this" gets in the way of them giving their honest opinion.

Not sure if they really remember all details, it was 70 years ago...

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by swiss

Not sure if they really remember all details, it was 70 years ago...

Do not discount these men’s memories. The events that occurred were very intense and indelibly etched themselves into these veterans minds.

In June this year I was in New Guinea, walking the Kokoda Track when our party met up with the author Bill James. He wrote a guide book for people walking the track that went over the various Battles. (Title "A field Guide to the KOKODA TRACK: an historical guide t the lost battlefields" ISBN 9780977570409)

Several years ago he had flown out a number of the veterans of the Battle of Brigade Hill (including my father) to the battle site by helicopter. Bill James walked the men through the battle site according to the maps and official history accepted at the time. Some of the veterans including my dad told him that he was wrong and the action that they were involved in happened a hundred meters further up the hill. Unfortunately time, the weather and issues with the helicopter forced them to fly back to Port Moresby that day.

On a later trip armed with metal detectors, Bill James and his team (including our groups guide) went over the battle field and from the location of ordinance and spent bullet cases determined that the evidence matched up with these men’s 65 year old memories closer than official histories that were written up a year or two after the battle!

The day before we left for New Guinea, Dad drew up a mud map of the area of the battle that he was involved in. This map drawn from 68 year old memories matched almost exactly to the location we walked through.

Many of the veteran’s memories of events are still quite lucid!
Cheers!

[PeterPanPan]

Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger

Do not discount these men’s memories. The events that occurred were very intense and indelibly etched themselves into these veterans minds ... Many of the veteran’s memories of events are still quite lucid!
Cheers!

Totally agree. Listen to anything Geoff Wellum has to say. He remembers things as clearly as if they were yesterday. He said "People ask me, how do you remember those things from all that time ago? I say, how can I ever forget?"

PPanPan

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by PeterPanPan

Totally agree. Listen to anything Geoff Wellum has to say. He remembers things as clearly as if they were yesterday. He said "People ask me, how do you remember those things from all that time ago? I say, how can I ever forget?"

PPanPan

Every time I hear the stories that these men tell, my respect for them grows. Thanks to men like them I've never had to put myself in harms way.

The most unfortunate thing about that is that in the past I've taken too many things for granted and haven't even thought about the sacrifices that these men have had to endure for me to live the way I can.

Slowly as I'm getting older and now have got kids of my own, I am slowly realising the price that these men paid in their youth.

Cheers!

[swiss]

Originally Posted by Skoshi Tiger

Do not discount these men’s memories.
Many of the veteran’s memories of events are still quite lucid!
Cheers!

Look, the last thing I want is to degrade/belittle them.

But: If you asked me about things that happened 20years ago, most of it is blurry - and black and white.
I could'nt tell for sure.
20years.

Or eyewitnesses in a criminal case, they cannot remember all details, they may think they remember, but their mind is just playing a trick on them.

That's how our brain is built, can't change this fact.

I also had a close relative who served in the 8th army as tank driver, I sure enjoyed listening to all that stories - but from a objective point of view....you can't tell if it's all true, somethings could be made up by the brain, unintentionally.

Edit:
We have a guy here in the form who interviews Russian veteran pilots.
I you read the interviews, you find several corrections by the interviewer - some facts were just plain wrong in the memories of the vets.
Do you think they "lied" intentionally"?