Art wrote:
"Liberated" ? As I remember it there was no German resistance whatever. All
the
Germans had left and they just walked in without a shot being fired. Hardly
the
equivalent of landing on Omaha beach was it?. (sheesh)

Sorry they couldn't make Omaha Beach. IIRC at that time the 45th was somewhere
in Italy after the other Beach at Anzio.
Got two uncles buried there Art, they were "goof offs" in the National Guard
from about 1936 onwards. One was a LTC and the other a SFC.

In answer to your question, "Is it easier now? Yes and No, times change,
military is now all volunteer, generally smarter, better trained, more
specialized equipment, but the job is not easier. War is not easier and hasn't
been that way since Ugh and Orf fought it out with stone clubs. Killing is just
more efficient now.

You never used a periscopic sextant, correct? Well, I never used a GPS in an
airplane, but I probably dropped bombs made in the same plant as the ones you
dropped, maybe even in the same batch.
We used up all the old bombs and the guys now get to drop newer weapons, and
find the target a bit easier, but it isn't any easier.

The biggest difference that I can determine is that the enemy was easier to
identify in your day and the politicians didn't micromanage wars.

Rick