WW2 Which job would be most dangerous?

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Tessen

SOE spy working in france?

I'll go one better. SOE communications officer working in France. Accounted one of the most dangerous jobs.

Back then they did not have Burn Notice style throwaway phones. They had to haul around suitcase sized systems and set up the antenna in odd places. The Germans could track the bearing from multiple listening posts within a few minutes.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by Anders

British officers had a higher casualty rates than the troops, mostly because they thought it was unsporting to duck. "It doesn't do much good anyway, and the troops don't like it."

Originally Posted by jason taylor

It sounds stupider than it was because a lot of times there would have been a need to expose themselves for their commands to be understood. Sometimes it probably did partake something of Honor Before Reason.

I presume you've seen this video from Lindybeige? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrauBQf7FpI

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

I presume you've seen this video from Lindybeige? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrauBQf7FpI

What about it? Most of it seems to be a guy with a beard talking.

[Tinman]

One of the "old timers" in my synagogue was US Marine pathfinder in the pacific. He said his job was to go ahead of the main-force units. Look-for & disarm booby traps. He said it was a job with a high casualty rate.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

I presume you've seen this video from Lindybeige? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrauBQf7FpI

Yeah, that's pretty much where I got it.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

What about it? Most of it seems to be a guy with a beard talking.

Did you watch/listen to it? Guy with beard (aka. Lindybeige) talks about British officers and why they didn't duck.

[borithan]

Originally Posted by Tessen

Scottish Highlanders...the Bagpipe guy. Shoot him then is there another guy to pick up the tune?

One of the bagpipers from the British D-Day landings apparently stood in the open and marched up and down playing the pipes. Allegedly after the war he met with a German veteran of the beach defenders and asked "Did you not see me? Why did you not shoot me?" The reply he is meant to have got was "Yes, we did see you, but we thought you had gone mad and it would be cruel."

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by borithan

One of the bagpipers from the British D-Day landings apparently stood in the open and marched up and down playing the pipes. Allegedly after the war he met with a German veteran of the beach defenders and asked "Did you not see me? Why did you not shoot me?" The reply he is meant to have got was "Yes, we did see you, but we thought you had gone mad and it would be cruel."

The piper in question was Bill Millin, who was not so much "one of the bagpipers" as he was "the only bagpiper" to take part in the British landings at D-Day. He was also the only soldier to take part in the D-Day landings wearing a kilt and armed with a knife. The War Office had forbidden the deployment of pipers in combat zones, but Millin's CO, Lord Lovat, claimed that as a Scot he was not subordinate to the "English" War Office. Lord Lovat was a colourful character.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Tinman

One of the "old timers" in my synagogue was US Marine pathfinder in the pacific. He said his job was to go ahead of the main-force units. Look-for & disarm booby traps. He said it was a job with a high casualty rate.

Weren't these the guys that were reborn as the SEALs after the war? UDT/beach recon?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Weren't these the guys that were reborn as the SEALs after the war? UDT/beach recon?

Probably not. SEALS are actual Navy. Marine Special Ops are things like Force Recon and so forth. In WWII (at least ) there were also the Marine raiders among other units.

Meanwhile, the precursors to the SEALS were Navy divers doing the "UD" thing which stands for "underwater demolitions". Marines don't go swimming unless the Navy doesn't hold up their end of the deal. :)

Every US armed service has to have its' separate force of Spec Ops (except maybe the Coast Guard).