What Ever Happened to Capt. Hara?

[Onime No Kyo]

I just think its curious to find out what all these hoo-ahh individuals ended up doing after the war, those that didnt stay in the military, of course.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: Onime No Kyo

I just think its curious to find out what all these hoo-ahh individuals ended up doing after the war, those that didnt stay in the military, of course.

Hara seems to be a unique Japanese commander, if his book is to be believed at all. I suspect most of what he claims is true. Certainly in the instances that are checkable, his reports seem to be accurate.

He speaks a little of Raizo Tanaka, another great (in many people's opinions) IJN commander. Hara said that Tanaka was living on a farm, and didn't want to speak of the war. Of course, this was probably in the 1950's. He would be another good one to track down.

[testarossa]

I have a feeling that Japanese in general don’t like to speak of WW2. The guy had that funny face like I asked him about the color of his underwear. I don’t know why though. May be it’s the same thing like Germans don’t like to speak about Holocaust and Hitler.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: testarossa

I have a feeling that Japanese in general don’t like to speak of WW2. The guy had that funny face like I asked him about the color of his underwear. I don’t know why though. May be it’s the same thing like Germans don’t like to speak about Holocaust and Hitler.

I guess i can understand that. Don't strain relations with your neighbor/friend/acquantaince.

I'll try to figure out another way of getting this.

Is there anyone known on the forum that reads/writes Japanese?

[wild_Willie2]

What Ever Happened to Capt. Hara?

WHOA, I just saw in the "Links for WITP Sites" that we have a new forum member from Japan!. Maybe TOMO can help us with our long standing search for captain Hara???????????

(No I am NOT obsessed, just very interested what happenen to the old geezer sinds reading "destroyer captain" )

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: wild_Willie2

What Ever Happened to Capt. Hara?

WHOA, I just saw in the "Links for WITP Sites" that we have a new forum member from Japan!. Maybe TOMO can help us with our long standing search for captain Hara???????????

(No I am NOT obsessed, just very interested what happenen to the old geezer sinds reading "destroyer captain" )

TOMO - where are you?[:D]

[wild_Willie2]

I will PM him, see if he want's to cooperate...............

[Marc]

ORIGINAL: testarossa

May be it’s the same thing like Germans don’t like to speak about Holocaust and Hitler.

Hm. I don't think that Germans generally don't like to speak about Holocaust and Hitler. At least that is not true with me and the people I know.

My hometown gave Hitler the german nationality (he was Austrian) and so paved him the way. Nothing to be proud about.

But if Hitler would not have existed, I wouldn't be here either.
Because my father was dislodged from Silesia (now Poland) and would have never met my mother.
Kind of weird situation. [X(]

[wild_Willie2]

Where not talking about a major politicall figure here, nor somebody accused of war crimes. If I would ask a german to search something about a german WW2 destroyer captain, I do not think he would mind.........

[Marc]

ORIGINAL: wild_Willie2

Where not talking about a major politicall figure here, nor somebody accused of war crimes. If I would ask a german to search something about a german WW2 destroyer captain, I do not think he would mind.........

Perhaps interesting is that many Germans tend to have very little national pride.

I have sometimes the feeling that I have to excuse myself that I am interested in the second World War and other armed conflicts. Many people think this means glorifying(correct word?) war.

For example you won't find very many german books about war. My book about german tanks from WWII is in english. [8|]

I was a gunner of a Leopard 2 in 1990/91. I think if an enemy would have attacked us most of my comrades would have fled.

In my opinion Germany made a 180 degree turn in the past century. From a military state to a quite pacifistic attitude. (Which is quite good in my opinion)

[wild_Willie2]

I know, I grew up near the german border and know a lot of germans, even speak it fluently...( although it is getting a bit rusty [8|][8|] )

[sabreman1966mcs]

ORIGINAL: Marc
Because my father was dislodged from Silesia (now Poland) and would have never met my mother.
Kind of weird situation. [X(]

Small world [;)] That's the same area that my father came from (near Opole)

[testarossa]

Well, I never said that they don't speak.

There are some germans here in Canada who went through WW2 and they just don't look happy speaking about it. I: “So, how was it?” He: “Not very good”. “Tell me something…” “There is nothing to tell, just war.”
Same as my grandfather who was blasting civilians in night bombing raids with RAF. “How was it?” “Dark and f**ng frightening. Good that I didn’t know than that it was so f***ng pointless. Bloody b@st@rds.” He hated “bomber” Harris, believed that the man had a quota per month for crew losses and made huge efforts to meet it.

What Germans did though, they reconciled their history, put all dots over the "i"s and crossed all the "t"s. They even paid monetary compensation to the slave workers. They have now democratic state.

The funny thing though I've read somewhere that from approx. 70,000 Neo-Nazis on Earth right now 50,000 are in Russia, and the rest are mainly in France and UK and rest of Europe, Germany having the fewest number of them.

[sabreman1966mcs]

ORIGINAL: testarossa

Well, I never said that they don't speak.

There are some germans here in Canada who went through WW2 and they just don't look happy speaking about it. I: “So, how was it?” He: “Not very good”. “Tell me something…” “There is nothing to tell, just war.”

My father wasn't too keen to talk about his wartime career with 6 FJR in France and Holland in 1944, though there were a few times I got him to open up about certain incidents and actions. He preferred to talk more about the fun he had as a PoW in England [;)]

ORIGINAL: testarossa

The funny thing though I've read somewhere that from approx. 70,000 Nazis on Earth right now 50,000 are in Russia, and the rest are mainly in France and UK and rest of Europe, Germany having the fewest number of them.

Most of the PoW's that chose to remain in England after the war were non party members. From the camp that my father was in the majority of the prisoners were non party members with the only party members coming from a few Waffen SS units (all of which actually returned to Germany when given the choice)

[sadja]

Not wanting to hijack tread, I've read Destroyer captian years ago, and remember as a great book. Back in the late 50's and early 60"s American's did want to talk about the war much. It is only lately that WWII is being talked up, because of what Reagan started about the heros of the war. My Uncle who was with the 3rd armor div didn't want to talk about the war except to talk about funny parts,"where one of his buddies got drunk and went down to a caputured equipment park and shot it up with a 50cal on the halftrack and came back and told everybody how he stopped a German counter attack. And how he was the 1st American in Cechosovicia sp and 1st out, being chased back out by the germans. He was in a recon company. My father never talked much, but didn't see a lot of action as an armed guard on merchant ships. Was training for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. Ask me if I was glad they dropped the bomb. I wasn't born yet and may not have been born if the invasion had come off. The ship he was on was a liberty ship being modified as an LST by placing explosive charges on the bow. The ship would run aground on the beach and blow the bow open to unload mech cargo.

Sorry about craming all this stuff in one giant paragraph, but on my way to work and in a hurry.

Thanks for listening to my rambles.

Sadja

[testarossa]

ORIGINAL: Sabreman1966
Most of the PoW's that chose to remain in England after the war were non party members. From the camp that my father was in the majority of the prisoners were non party members with the only party members coming from a few Waffen SS units (all of which actually returned to Germany when given the choice)

I'm sorry man. I fixed my post - I meant NeoNazis, not former POWs. We had quite an influx of germans in Canada too, mainly to Alberta and BC in 1946-1956.

[rtrapasso]

ORIGINAL: wild_Willie2

What Ever Happened to Capt. Hara?

WHOA, I just saw in the "Links for WITP Sites" that we have a new forum member from Japan!. Maybe TOMO can help us with our long standing search for captain Hara???????????

(No I am NOT obsessed, just very interested what happenen to the old geezer sinds reading "destroyer captain" )

Any luck in contacting TOMO?

[wild_Willie2]

I PM him on the 22 th, no reply yet..............

[Monter_Trismegistos]

Hi, (Mogami's style:) ) i found that i can add one word for this subject.

I have a book (in Polish of course):
Z.Flisowski "Burza nad Pacyfikiem" (Storm over the Pacific), Warszawa 1995

Author (famous Polish naval warfare historician) is mentioning (page 650, vol. II) his visit in Tokio in September 1975. He wrote:

"I tried to contact with the author of the book Destroyer's Captain, Captain Hara, but he was very ill in hospital and he was already unable to speak..."

(sorry for bad english and, translation)

I hope that this will help a little.

[wild_Willie2]

Well this news should end our long search for Cap. Hara, would still be nice to get a " final" confirmation.

TOMO WHERE ARE YOU !!!!!!!!!!