Remembering WW2

[rogue06]

My father was a tank commander who fought and was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. He was the only survivor on both sides of that particular skirmish. One of my mother's brothers served with distinction in Italy. The other never got further than New Jersey.

OTOH, I did have a relative (my mother's uncle or grand uncle) who was a Nazi officer in the SS who was executed by the Russians at the end of the war. A totally evil #@%$#& from everything I understand.

[robrecht]

My Dad was a naval officer involved in the first landings in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. As he used to say, once he saw that things were well in hand in Europe, he joined the submarine service so that he could win the war in the Pacific as well. He also said he joined the submarine service because the food was better so I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between.

[Sparko]

That's what my Panzer guy was explaining -- MANY of the soldiers were only fighting because they were forced to, and there was a huge morale problem accordingly.

Yeah my mom told me stories of them growing up over there. Basically the Nazi's controlled everything but not that many were actually part of the Nazi party. Most were people just trying to get by. The schools were run by nazi's though and she told me that after the war the townspeople drove the teachers out of town. The nazi's would also just go into people's homes and take whatever they wanted, so they had to hide food and stuff just to survive. And when the army decided they wanted you, you had to go or they would arrest you and your family.

Here is my grandpa in uniform..

opa-army2.jpg

[Cow Poke]

My grandpa was just a regular soldier, forced to fight for the Nazi's. Basically conscripted.

That's what my Panzer guy was explaining -- MANY of the soldiers were only fighting because they were forced to, and there was a huge morale problem accordingly.

[Sparko]

One of my other grandfather's best friends was a German pilot in WW II. He got shot down and captured in North Africa, and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Kansas. He took correspondence courses while a POW, and ended up staying and becoming an Economics professor.

My grandpa was just a regular soldier, forced to fight for the Nazi's. Basically conscripted. He was captured too and spent most of the war in a POW camp in New Jersey. Said he loved it there.

[Cow Poke]

I've told this story elsewhere, but in my "cop" days, I responded to an accident where a car had run off the road and hit a utility pole. Upon investigating, it was a senior citizen who had been drinking, and he was, by default, under arrest. Since he had been banged up a little in the accident, it was our policy to take him to the hospital to get checked out before being processed at our jail.

My partner drove my police cruiser back to the PD, and I rode in the back of the ambulance with this gentleman. During the 40 minute trip to the hospital, and the hour or so waiting for treatment, we had a fascinating talk. He had a German accent, and assessing his age, I assumed he probably served in WWII. He had. He was a Panzerkampfwagen Division Commander in a several Blitzkrieg operations during the war, and had some amazing perspective from his side. I had no axe to grind with him, he was totally cooperative, so it was a wonderful conversation.

For reasons I don't understand, when I turned him back over to our jail personnel, they did not remove his belt. (This would have normally been my responsibility, but my shift had LONG since ended, and the shift commander instructed me to "turn him over".)

Tragically, that night he hanged himself in our jail, and was found dead at the next jail check.

The family sued the department corporately, and several of us officers individually. When I was in deposition, there was an obvious attempt to blame me for antagonizing him and causing him to want to end his life. When I began sharing the conversation we had, with details I could only have gotten voluntarily from the deceased, the opposing counsel abruptly dismissed me and said, "we don't need anything further".

Not only did I REALLY enjoy my time with him, it ended up exhonorating me from a wrongful death lawsuit which could have been disastrous.

[One Bad Pig]

so did mine. But he was German.

One of my other grandfather's best friends was a German pilot in WW II. He got shot down and captured in North Africa, and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in Kansas. He took correspondence courses while a POW, and ended up staying and becoming an Economics professor.

[Cow Poke]

My Dad was a Chaplain in WWII, but one of his "active duty" jobs was to help shoot down buzz bombs raining down on the English coast. He enlisted in the Army, but became part of the Air Force as it emerged from the Army Air Corps, to which he was assigned.

[mossrose]

One of my grandfathers served in WW II.

My Dad was a flight instructor in that war, and both grandfathers served in WW 1.

Dad RCAF.jpg

My Dad.

[Teallaura]

[Sparko]

One of my grandfathers served in WW II.

so did mine. But he was German.

[One Bad Pig]

One of my grandfathers served in WW II.

[foudroyant]

Thank you all veterans for your sacrifice!

May we never forget.

[Bill the Cat]

WW2.jpg
Bill Prindible takes the controls during a flight over Normandy inside a C-47 Skytrain that flew during D-Day, June 5, 2014. Over 60 Ramstein Airmen have traveled to Normandy, France to celebrate and honor the sacrifices made by veterans of World War II.




If you ever get the chance to visit New Orleans, here is a very moving experience:

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/