View Full Version : Do you have relatives who fought during D-Day?
Kapitan_Phillips
09-23-07, 07:52 PM
I'm very interested to know whether my grandfather, Stan Phillips fought alongside anyone here on Sword Beach during D-Day.
Did you have relatives who fought then? Which beach?
My Grandfather on my mother's side was a Higgins Boat (or some other landing vessel) Pilot
(in the Army, not R.Navy). His brother was in Montgomery's staff in the invasion.
My Great Grandfather on my fathers side was a Colonel at the time (and had been since
WW1), but did not take a active part in the invasion due to his age. Apart from that, I
am not sure what he was doing at the time.
My Great Grandfather's brother was unable to attend the second world war at all due to
posthumously wining the VC in the previous world war.
I don't know about my Grandfather on my fathers side, but he was in the Army at the time
with rank.
I am the first in over 5 generations on my father's side to fail entrance to the Army. :(
My grandfather was a motorcycle courier with the British Army at the time, but he went AWOL to marry my grandmother before the end. I guess I come from a line of romantic deserters! :nope: :D
antikristuseke
09-23-07, 08:17 PM
Im not quite sure if my grandfather was still fighting during D-Day or if the Tanneberg line had fallen and he had defected to avoid capture by soviets. Anyway he was far away from the are and if he had been there he would have been on the wrong side.
Father,4th Infantry division @ Normandy,Omaha beach.Quite Proud !:yep: DOD
(dear ol dad)
my Grandfathers cousin was there but on the Axis Side. lost an arm but suvived the war. might of been on the losing side but im proud of it!:up:
Ishmael
09-24-07, 12:16 AM
My father was in San Quentin doing a year for armed robbery during D-Day. He'd already participated in Attu, Kiska, North Africa, Sicily, Salerno and Anzio invasions. After his release from stir, he took part in Iwo Jima and the Japanese occupation. His brother, my uncle Emmet was a lieutenant commander assigned to the Port of Noumea for the duration. My Aunt's first husband, Uncle Glenn, was in the 101st and dropped into Normandy fighting all the way through Bastogne in the Bulge
AntEater
09-24-07, 05:23 AM
Most of my then living relatives were in Service with the Wehrmacht on 6th june, but most of them were on the east Front.
However, a brother of my maternal grandmother was stationed in France (don't know what unit) and after the invasion and Falaise and everything he was MIA.
Some 40 years later, he suddenly called his sister.
He had been trying to escape Falaise on foot, hid on a farm and was discovered by the french farmer. Instead of turning him in, the farmer simply let him stay and work, as his own sons were both dead or missing. Since he had worked on a farm his whole life (only in east Prussia) it was no problem for him. He eventually married the farmer's daughter and inherited the farm.
For 40 years, the old farmer had told the rest of the village that his son in law was from Alsace and had escaped a german labor camp.
Only after 1980 they found out he was a german soldier from east Prussia.
:)
nobody from my family fought during D-Day but i do have a luftwaffe veteran in my family
though the only thing i know about hes "military history" is that he was attacked over russia and was forced to crash land where he then saw woman run towards him but as she was a few meters away get shot in the back of her head....:-? he was then captured and put in a POW camp..and survived ofcourse.
then a guy on my croatian side fought with the germans in croatia but he ended up hanging himself as he wasnt sure how the ppl in the town where he lived would react when he came home (he came in a night and went to hes dad and asked if he could sleep in the barn, next morning my grandfathers brother went into the barn and found him hanging):-?
No sorry, I can say 100% my Grandfather was a London Fireman who witness the Blitz and the V1 and V2 attacks and saw many horrific things and never truly got over the experience.
seafarer
09-24-07, 01:55 PM
My father was onboard HMCS Waskesiu off the beaches during the landings (he led a k-gun crew).
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