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Kamikaze aunt and other stories – By GEORGE BRAINE During the closing stages of the Pacific front in World War II, Kamikaze (“divine wind”) units were formed as a last ditch effort to prevent an American invasion of Japan. These units consisted of conventional fighter planes loaded with explosives, bombs, and even torpedoes, and would be deliberately crashed onto warships. About 2800 Kamikaze attackers sank 34 American navy ships, damaged 368 others, and killed or wounded about 10,000 sailors. An American destroyer that was attacked but survived is my namesake, the USS Braine, although 67 sailors on board were killed and 102 wounded. My mother-in-law Tomiko is 94 now, and clearly remembers her life in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, during wartime. She was in a boarding school where young women were trained to take over duties usually assigned to men, who were now away at war. She remembers the hardships of ...

Jul 25, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, George Braine Tagged American invasion, American navy, Kamikaze attackers, kamikaze pilot, World War II

German POWs in Britain: 1945 Onwards-by Michael Roberts (2/5) Timewatch the Germans we Kept World War II With the wars end many prisoners were soon on their way back home but a program of re-education was devised to supposedly prepare the prisoners for a new life in a different Germany. The full horrors of the Holocaust were put on show and one prisoner who was at the time a hard-line Nazi remembers that many of his comrades did not believe that the Holocaust had taken place thinking it was British propaganda designed to shame the German people even more…. …. This process of re education determined whether a prisoner would be sent home early or not and interviews took place to determine the prisoners attitude. Many who at first showed contempt for the British realized that the war was now over and the only way to secure their release was ...

Jun 14, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Chandra Wickramasinghe, World War II

Asitha Fernando’s Star-turn as Pace Bowler at Dhaka – By Dr Michael Roberts Source:thuppahis.com Rex Clementine, in The Island, 5 June 2022, where the title runs “From Beach Boy to recordbreaker” …. while emphasis via highlighting here is an intervention from The Editor, Thuppahi Arjuna Ranatunga’s mantra for turning the fortunes of a cricket team was backing outstation talents. Colombo ceased to own the exclusive rights for cricket and as a result, the game thrived. Three decades on the outstations are still producing match winners. There are still unearthed and untapped talents in far-off areas. One such created history last week by bowling Sri Lanka to a series win in Dhaka. From a beach boy of far off Katuneriya, Asitha Fernando went on to become the first Sri Lankan right-arm quick to claim a match bag of ten wickets. A fishing village on the northwest coast, Katuneriya is situated between the towns of Chilaw and Negobmo. ...

Jun 9, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Michael Roberts Tagged Arjuna Ranatunga, Chamika Karunaratne, Keith Miller, S. Thomas' College, World War II

Sober Island – enchanting islet in Trincomalee – By Arundathie Abeysinghe Sri Lanka is home to breathtaking sights. Some are well-known, whereas others are not and remain elusive … At the entrance of *Trincomalee Harbor, there is a small spectacular islet known as “Sober Island” (“Great Sober Island” and “Little Sober Island”). Strategic location of the Island made it a pivotal point in the Harbor’s defense during World War II when Trincomalee served as a marine fortress. This legacy remains even at present, although, the islets are now veiled in thick shrub jungles that envelop them, gradually. The islet rises steeply, starting from its shoreline and the summit of the islet offers breathtaking vistas of the surroundings and a panoramic view of the Trincomalee Harbor. The vistas were amazing with ocean, shrub jungle and bustling urban life blended together… Located approximately an hour’s drive from Pepper Pot Jetty in Trincomalee, ...

May 26, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Admiral Jacob Blacket, Admiral Saffron, American Revolutionary War, British Colonials, Isle du Solite, Pepper Pot Jetty, Sri Lanka, Sun Island, Trincomalee, Trincomalee’s Maritime, United States of America, World War II,  Great Britain,  Great Sober Island -

Rosmarie Trapp of the family that inspired the musical The Sound of Music dies at age 93: ‘She had a positive impact on countless lives’ – By ASHLEIGH GRAY Source:dailymail.co.uk Rosmarie Trapp, the daughter of Georg and Maria von Trapp — the couple whose family inspired The Sound of Music, has died. The family of the Austrian singer shared the sad news via an Instagram post on Saturday. The post featured two photos of her and said that she ‘passed away peacefully on Friday evening at the age of 93; she was in the presence of loved ones all day long.’ The first of two images showed the musician wearing a blue windbreaker and white helmet as she posed on a bike. The two-wheeler had a basket secured to the handle bars at the front, and she held onto them while smiling. Rosmarie’s white hair spilled out of her protective ...

May 21, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Angela Cartwright, Austrian singer, Captain Georg, Debbie Turner, Duane Chase, Heather Menzies, Julie Andrews, Kym Karath, Nicholas Hammond, Von Trapp, World War II

Oberammergau Passion Play: A Unique 400-Year-Old Event-by Sue Reddell and Diana Laskaris Source:Dailynews The Passion Play has been performed in the small German village of Oberammergau since 1634. At the time, the Bubonic Plague ravaged Europe, including Bavaria in Germany. Seeing their families and friends dying from the disease, the remaining villagers gathered and made a vow to God. The townspeople promised that they would perform a Passion Play reenacting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ every 10 years if God would make the Plague pass through the village without further devastation. The story goes that God responded to the villagers’ entreaty and the people of Oberammergau have been performing the Passion Play ever since. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, what once seemed like a charming tale of spiritual faith from another time, now feels like a flash of hopeful news. We would all like reassurance ...

Mar 30, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged COVID 19 pandemic, World War II

Defence connections between Australia and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) over the 75 Years by PAUL COONEY Source: Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade The geographical location of Sri Lanka, being one of Australia’s Indian Ocean neighbours has resulted in regular Naval interaction for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) through Goodwill Visits and when transiting to or from the Arabian Sea or Europe via the Suez Canal. The progression of three HMA Ships Melbourne is a good case study of this. HMAS Melbourne (I) HMAS Melbourne (I) was a Town Class Light Cruiser introduced into the RAN not long before the declaration of the First World War and took part in the seizure of the German Pacific possessions. On 9 September 1914, the Melbourne (I) landed a naval party on Nauru Island to carry out the destruction of the German wireless station, one of the less well-known battles Australians took part ...

Feb 16, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged HMA Ships Melbourne, Sri Lankan navy, World War II

Commonwealth War Cemetery – tribute to brave warriors By Arundathie Abeysinghe Serene and incredibly well-maintained Commonwealth War Cemetery also known as Kandy War Cemetery is a memorial to known and unknown warriors who sacrificed their lives during World War I and II. This cemetery is one of the most well-maintained and visited war cemeteries in the world. There is one Commonwealth burial from the World War I and 196 Commonwealth burials from the World War II. The cemetery also has four foreign national burials and two non-world war burials. The graveyard formerly known as the Pitakande Military Cemetery was taken over by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as a permanent war cemetery Located approximately 1.5 kilometers from the entrance to the *Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Among the burials in the Cemetery, 203 buried comprise 107 British, 35 East Africans, 26 Sri ...

Feb 10, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Arundathie Abeysinghe Tagged Admiral Lord Mountbatten, British Garrison Cemetery, Commonwealth War Cemetery, Mahaweli River, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, World War II

Colossal Kills on All Fronts in 1944/45, World War II-by Michael Roberts Hitler Germany’s greatest reach 1942 Source:Thuppahis In venturing into reflections on VE Day commemorations, by pure chance I stumbled on You Tube reviews of the ways in which German POWs were dealt with in Britain during and after the war. This data base also provides partial information on the enormous loss of life on the various moments in the Western front as the Allied forces advanced on Germany after D Day in June 1944. Besides the dramatic beachfront struggles after the D-Day landings,[1] some of us are familiar with the tales of the “Battle of the Bulge.”[2] My recent Your Tube find also brought up stories about the “Death Factory” occurring at Hürtgen Forest in the Northern Eiffel region of Germany. Do absorb this summary description capped by Ernest Hemingway’s recollections: “the decision to advance into the thick forest in September 1944 proved to be a fatal mistake. The ...

Nov 15, 2021 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged German infantry in Russia, Soviet sniper Roza Shanina in 1944, World War II

“THE GOOD OLD DAYS” – By Des Kelly We go around these days, complaining about this & that, the latest being Corona Virus, the lockdown, the inability of going abroad on holidays, the this, & the that, WHY must this happen to US ???, etc., etc.,& most of us hark on what was termed the good old days, myself included, and yet, thinking about it, in fact, thinking about what people in general had to put up with, just from the date my dear Mother was born, is something else again. This might shock some of you more sensitive readers, but, once read, you will have a much different perspective on what is happening all around you right at the moment. The more you read folks, the more you learn. Covid 19 has already taken a big toll, and will continue to do so, until a Vaccine is found to ...

May 16, 2020 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged World War II Comments 0