Grandfathers in the war

[Kipparikalle]

Here you tell what your grandfather did in the war.
That should explain everything, but of course. You don't need to tell if you don't want tho'


My grandfather was on the Continuation-war, on the Lagus' armor-division.
He was the gunner of 'sturm' (Stug IV G or something) Finland got the sturms from Germany.

As now he knows that his time is close (his next heartattack will be his last) he has revealed more and more what he did on the war, every time I meet him (1-4 a year)

When the Continuation-War started (1941, 3 days after Germany's attack on Russia)
His tank platoon has to cover infantry attack over a field, both sides were forest.
As their infantry attacked, the sturms shooted everything what moved on the opposite forest. The attack was succes, but soon 3 russian tank (T34 type tanks) came from the road near them. My grandfather's tank was just next to that road, so they didnt need a lot of turning to get first tank on the sight.

The first shot went straigh through the front armor of the tank, the tank started smoking and the remaining tankcrew jumped out.

The second tank spotted his tank and shot, but the shot was too high and hit a tree behind his tank.

Other sturm shot at the russian tank, wich broke the gun of the tank.
The enemy tank started retreating but my grandfather shot another shell on the tank. Wich went also through, the tank started burning and nobody came out.

The attack was succes, no own tank losses, and only couple of infantrymens died or injured.


I will tell more later

[Bill Nichols]

My grandfather was on General Winfield Scott's staff in the war with Mexico. Neal's grandfather was there, too.


:-j

[Chock]

Never knew either of my grandfathers, that's war for you. I know one was killed wading ashore during an assault and he is buried on Madagascar, beyond that, not got a lot of info on them.

That's why war (unless it is on a simulator) is crap.

:D Chock

[AntEater]

My paternal grandfather trained as a cavalryman but actually saw combat in the same manner as the original posters. As a StuG crewman, first driver, later gunner, from late 1943 until the end of the war. Don't know the unit, but it was some independent StuG brigade in the central sector of the eastern front.
He did shoot some T-34s as well, I suppose.
He barely managed to avoid the Warsaw uprising. He was on home leave and SS and Field Police were combing the trains at Warsaw station for "volunteers" to join the fighting in the city. As an assault artilleryman he was exempt from such press-ganging and was one of the few who didn't have to go.
He tells a lot of depressing stories about the retreat and captivity in Russia. He was a POW for about three years in Stalingrad, rebuilding the city, and had to remove a lot of corpses there.
He drove stuff his whole life, trucks, excavators, construction machinery, anything on the road, regardless if it had tracks or wheels. He still drives his BMW on the Autobahn, but always complains about not being able to tinker with it anymore as everything is computerized.

My late maternal grandfather was a Gebirgsjäger (one of the few non bavarians or austrians I suppose) serving at Poland, Norway and later the Caucasus.
He was flown into Narvik in April 1940 as reinforcement with a Ju 52.
He was later captured on Crimea and sent to work in the mines in Karaganda in Kazakhstan, for about two years. Was better than it first sounds, as the POWs who worked there were actually paid, and part of the money was even sent to his wife in west Germany.
He told a lot of stories about the war, at least when grandma wasn't around to shut his mouth. But since he liked telling stories I never knew which one was true.
Later he worked in a sausage factory
;)

My grand uncle was the soldier in our family, he was a drill instructor before the war and served in a Luftwaffe field division near Leningrad.
He served in three armies for over 30 years (Reichswehr, Wehrmacht, Bundeswehr) but always remained a Feldwebel.

[seafarer]

My grandfather was in the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade in WWI. My father ran a K-gun crew on Canadian River class frigates during WWII (HMCS Waskesiu and HMCS Eastview). One of my uncle's was with the British Commandos, but got lent out to British Intelligence. He was killed in France in 1943, so I never got to even meet him (although I know it was not his first covert operation in occupied Axis territory - he'd been dropped in at least once prior to the operation he went missing on).

[fatty]

My grandfather was a motorcycle courier with the British army, but actually went AWOL not far into the war to marry my grandmother. I had a great-uncle who apparently was awarded the OBE but I don't know anything about that.

[Kipparikalle]

My grandfather is the last original member of his platoon, alive.
He lost all his friends, every one of them.

During the massive tank-battle of 'Tali-Ihantala' He had to be motorcycle messenger.
During that time he accidentally drived over the lines to the russian side, he drived past big russian tank, truck and soldier-convoys.

He managed to get back, russians didn't notice that he was a finn.
He just drived back, waved a hand to the quards on the road. And he was back on own side.

[Oberon]

Right, where do I start?

I'll start with my great-grandfather, Charles Edward Clack, otherwise known as Ted or Teddy Clack. After marrying his love, Madge in 1914 he joined up and served with the Wiltshire Regiment and was severely wounded at the Somme, Sulua Bay and Ypres, during the battle for Messines Ridge he acted as a runner and was giving the Military Medal for bravery and a certificate awarded to him by the General of the 25th Division.

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/6817/popandgranhb3.jpg
Teddy and Madge circa 1914-1915

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8754/popmilitarymedalpe5.jpg
News of Ted receiving the Military Medal

A keen football player he was a part of the football team of the Wilts Regiment during the war, as shown below, he is the first on the left on the second row.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7308/popwiltshirefootballqg8.jpg

At the end of the First world war, he played football with Highworth Town, Hinckley United and some others. During his term with Hinckley he scored quite a few goals it would seem according to information we received the other day. Quite the Beckham of Hinckley in the 30's!

When the Second World War broke out, he joined up again as a Senior NCO in the Military Police, going to France to open up a field punishment camp. Of course, France fell before long and he was evacuated out from Dunkirk. He then went to North Africa to open another field punishment camp and was on board the 24,000 ton liner Strathallan when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-562 (on her 9th war patrol, and out of La Spezia). His comments on the sinking were recording in a local newspaper after the war:
"I went overboard from the upper deck of the liner and scrambled into a lifeboat. After drifting about for nine hours I was picked up by a destroyer and landed at a port."
At the end of the war, he did various jobs, including working for Sketchleys for several years, before dying in his sleep in April '84 aged 88.

My Great-Uncle Ted, joined the Royal Navy around 1935, and served on several ships during his service, including HMS Arrow, HMS Iron Duke, and HMS Barham (Although he had a spot of luck here, missing her final patrol!) According to the picture I have here, he was on board HMS Arrow during 1942:

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/934/tedhmsarrow1wq2.jpg
Great-Uncle Ted and some of the crew of HMS Arrow 1942 (He's on the top, second from the right)

I don't know too much else about Great-Uncle Teds time in the Royal Navy, sadly communication with my mothers side of the family is rather erratic

Now, my Grandfather, Norman Clack, joined the Royal Marines in 1946/47 and served in 45 Commando in Palestine, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.
I also have some pictures he took during his time in the Marines:

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4158/grandaddisembarkatpalesxv2.jpg
45 Commando disembarking from Dakota transports in Palestine 1947

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/5413/grandadscoutcarli2.jpg
A Scout Car used by 45 Commando in either Malaya or Palestine. Date not known

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/6277/grandadbriefinghu8.jpg
A Briefing for 45 Commando in Malaya, May 1950

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/6421/grandaddakotaflightwp2.jpg
On board the second wave of Dakotas heading to Haifa from Benghazi, May 1947

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/715/grandadradiosetnw0.jpg
A radio operator from 45 Commando, written on the back it says
"Don't blame me for the grim look, Mam, this little set is more obstinate than a mule."

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/3593/grandadbrengroupjj7.jpg
45 Commandos Bren group. "This is my Bren group, wading ankle deep up a stream mam, four grand guys who never complain, we had been out two days here."

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/9138/grandadgrandadandstevezk7.jpg
My Grandad (on the left) and a gentleman called only 'Steve' on active service at Kowloon, 1947.

My Grandad left the Marines in the early 1950s and joined the Police force, working as Constable and then through to joining the Scenes Of Crime Officers, unfortunately in his time in SOCO the dust used in searching for fingerprints caused him to get Miners Lung and he had to retire from the service in the 1980s. He died in July this year.


So, there we are, hope I didn't kill your bandwidth with all the pics, I've been meaning to put these up for a while, thanks to my Great-Nan whose photo album these come from.
I've put higher-res copies of these pictures up here (http://jamiesgallery.photos.gb.com/c1401035.html) if anyone is interested.

Thanks for looking through them! :D

[Mike@UK]

My Grandfather, John Boow was in the 1st Airborne Division, the Border Regiment, and fought in the Oosterbeek Perimeter during Operation Market Garden, this is a photo taken during the battle, he's the one at the very back behind the man with a Cigar:

http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/Photos/PicSupply3.jpg

He escaped at the end of the battle and survived the war, however he died before I was born, but luckily for me, after my Mother was born! :p

We still have a Hitler Youth Dagger in the house that was his, and a photo of him in Uniform.

[Oberon]

Nice pic! Funnily enough I've also got a Hitler Youth dagger from my grandfather! It's in nice nick too. :D

[Sailor Steve]

My grandfather was far too old to serve in the war. My father was just too young - he joined the navy in 1945 at age 18.

[edit] I did, however, have two uncles at Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately they both died before it ever occured to me to ask them about their experiences.

[blue3golf]

Don't know many details just:

Grandfather on mom's side operated landing craft in the Pacific, not sure which islands.

One great uncle was a combat engineer in Africa and Italy, was rotated home to guard a German POW compound in Minnesota or Wisconsin, I forget which. The other was Infantry in France and Germany. Both also did tours in Korea and one carried through to Vietnam as well.

[Kapitan]

My mothers dad:

Was a sapper blowing up ammunition dumps during the war not just after the allies landed in the main land but also he was sent along with other sappers to parts of germany and france to covertly destroy ammunition storage areas as well.

My real dads dad:

Was a royal engineer, he was at dunkirk during the evacuation and was one of the last people off the beechs, he went back in 1944 and helped build the mullberry harbours and other installations.

My stepdads dad:

Was in the soviet navy working alongside the british escorting convoys to and from britian to murmansk, stationed mainly on destroyers and smaller craft he had two ships go down, but died in 1997 without saying a word of what he did.
But thats all we know he did during the war.

My nan (mothers side) was an evaccuee

My nan (real dads side) was in the land army

[elite_hunter_sh3]

my grandfather on my moms side , served in World War one as a messenger/runner, he was 7 years old i believe, he died last year when he was 104 years old, he served in World War 2 as a Partisan, fighting the germans in the balkans along side, greek and soon to be (then) allied forces.. he told many stories of the wars, fortunately we got many of them on video :)

[Stealth Hunter]

In my family, I've had them fighting since the Ottoman Empire on my father's side.

On my mother's side, we've been able to trace our ancestry clear back to King Phillip's War.

Historical documents that we've recently discovered online that document the history of the Janissaries that the Ottoman Empire recruited for their Sultans show that we had 6 members of my family fighting for them; including 1 that stayed loyal to the Sultan after they betrayed him and tried to overthrow him.

Otherwise, his side of the family didn't break out into another war until World War I when my grandfather, Massut, joined the Ottomans to destroy the English. He served at Gallipoli and survived, living to be 86 at the time of his death.

I'm actually the last person to have served in a war on the Iranian side of my family: the Iran-Iraq War.



My mother's side of my family has a far more interesting military background, starting with John Tuthill, who moved to the Americas during King Phillip's War. He fought against the Indians, and survived until his death at 54.

From there on out, we had family in the French and Indian War, Revolutionary War (Nathaniel Tuttle; a spy for the Americans and a soldier in General George Rogers Clark's infantry unit; he stole supplies for them during the winter), War of 1812, Civil War (both Union), Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam.

My family had two members serving in it during World War I. The first was Lieutenant John Cornwell who served in the Second Division until he was wounded with gas and suffered from shellshock. He survived and became a nurse. He died in 1964 at the age of 71.

JOHN CORNWELL (Uncle)

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/JohnCornwallEscadrille.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/JohnCornwallDoughboy.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/JohnCornwallEscadrilleBackside.jpg

My other relative (see ship photo BELOW) was German. We have a lot of shady details regarding him, and we aren't even sure what his first name was. From what we've discovered, his last name was "Bolken", and he was the captain of the SMS Pommern at the Battle of Jutland. He went down with his ship when it was destroyed, along with all other 839 hands.
Kapitan Bolken's Ship: SMS Pommern (Uncle)

http://www.gwpda.org/photos/bin19/imag1813.jpg




During World War II, I had two members on my mother's side fighting for the Americans. The first one was Staff-Sergeant Byron King. He flew in a B-17 and was killed when it exploded over Germany on his 13th mission.

The second was 2nd Lieutenant Randall Tuttle. He was a P-47 Pilot in the Pacific during the war, and he shot down 6 planes. He destroyed at least a dozen ground targets before his death whilst serving on the Island of Cebu. His remains were returned to the United States in 1947, and he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.


RANDALL TUTTLE (Cousin)


http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/RandallTuttleFinalPhotos.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/RandallandhisP-47.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/2ndLieutenantRandallTuttle.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g17/Sgt-Smithy/Family%20Photographs/Military/RVT.png

[The Munster]

@Oberon
Do you know [or could you find out] if 45 Commando's Home Base was Abroath soon after the Second World War ?

[Jimbuna]

I never met my grandfather (dads side) he was second engineer on a merchant carrying explosives that went down (no survivors) during WWII.
My other grandfather (mams side) was in the BEF during WWI, he got buried alive during an artillery bombardment which left him completely deaf.

[Oberon]

@Oberon
Do you know [or could you find out] if 45 Commando's Home Base was Abroath soon after the Second World War ?


Arbroath is home to 45 Commando (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/45_Commando) of the Royal Marines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Marines), who have been based at the Condor Barracks since 1971. The Condor Barracks were originally built in 1940 and commissioned as RNAS Arbroath / HMS Condor, a Royal Naval Air Station with Blackburn Buccaneers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackburn_Buccaneer) stationed at the base until 1971.


I think before that 45 Commando was a part of 3 Commando Brigade based in Hong Kong.

[Skybird]

My father'S father was "Funker", radio carrier, in Russia, a dangeorus job. He lost one eye, one leg, almost one complete lung, and survived after terrible pain during the chaotic retreat. He suffered so intense pain that he ripped out most of his hair and parts of his skin's face in agony and delirium. His three brothers also were soldiers, and all were KIA. his family later was driven away from their village by the Russians, at one time being close to get shot altogether.

My mother's father was first a tank commander, then commander of a small tank group, first in France, then in Russia. He survived six tanks being shot and killed under his back because as TC he stood or sat in the turret and thus could jump out just in time, while his crews burned. He lost all his crews, a thing he never got over, and caused him visions at day and nightmares for the rest of his life. He also could not stand christmas and candle trees anymore, since they reminded him of the silhouettes of burning villages. He lost his brother in the war who refused to cooperate with the SS when apparently being given some special operations order, and he got apparently executed. After a Russian tank rolled right over him it was war over for him, he survived that event only becasue it was swamp terrain, springtime, and the ground was soaking with water, and was soft and deep. His spine was serously deranged. considering what happened to his brother, having been shot out of six tanks, and having had a tank rolling over him and seriously injuring his spine's bones, he could be called "lucky" in a very queer and almost ironic sense. Formally, he should have died several times.

[XabbaRus]

My grandfather didn't fight but avoided the war due to the fact he worked in strategic areas. He was an engineer working on submarines during the war. Nothing special compared to this. The company was called blcok tubes or something like that.

Oh and after the war he was heavily involved in A2A refuelling but that is another story.

My other grandad was in the home guard and was killed on the target range by some idiot.

[nikimcbee]

I think we should sticky this thread.:up: I think this is one of the best thread ideas in a long time.:know:
I had an Uncle storm Anzio, 1 fought kamikazes @ Okinawa. My grandfather had health issues and couldn't go, so he worked for the gov't developing synthetic rubber.
My ex-spouse's grandfather was in the Russian arty, blasting Germans.
I don't have any cool photos, but I love everybody elses!:up:

[XabbaRus]

I have an original photo of one of the first A2A refuellings done between two Avro Lancaster spinoff passenger planes.

[Subnuts]

My Grandfather enlisted in the Army before the US entered the war and was shipped to Australia after Pearl Harbor. After that he was sent to Port Moresby and was a codebreaker for most of the war. He was sent to the Phillipines sometime in early 1945 and did translation work with the natives. Sometime after the war ended he came became ill with a tropical disease. Since his work was so secret he couldn't receive proper medical care and almost died. Apparently he didn't even exist, and when he finally returned to the US in early 1946, he had to hitchhike all the way from California to Connecticut. He never received his share of the GI Bill, and he's never been recognized for his Ultra work during World War II, which remains a thorn in the side of most of my family today. :shifty: I've been talking with one of my Aunts about someday publishing his story as a book, in an attempt to rectify this "little problem."

By great uncle Thomas Cadder was a B-24 gunner with the 22nd Bombardment Group, aka "The Red Raiders", out of the Philippines. His plane apparently crashed into a mountain on Luzon in February 1945 on a mission to Formosa, and nothing was ever found of the plane or the crew. Hell, the town of Windsor Locks didn't even include his name on their WWII memorial until 2003.

I'm starting to think the veterans in my family have been neglected as a whole. :nope:

[baggygreen]

Noone in my family has been confirmed to have served. There is a thought that my great grandad (who was apparently a drunk lowlife) was drafted to serve in WW2 (as an aboriginal, he woulda been exempt from most rules regarding service) and was subsequently killed. Like i said tho, its not confirmed.

Besides that, noone has ever served. I'm off to be a reservist, so we'll see where that takes me i guess.

[Onkel Neal]

I think we should sticky this thread.:up: I think this is one of the best thread ideas in a long time.



I agree, this is a very good thread, lots of history and pictures, very informative. :up: Good work, guys, I appreciate the time you took to bring your grandfathers' lives to the rest of us. :yep: I'm giving this one 5 stars.


PS: Anyone who tries to turn this thread political will suffer a keelhauling.:nope:

[kiwi_2005]

No grandfathers served in the world wars, my grandfather on my fathers side from Yugoslavia left his home country to come to new zealand in the early 1930's and for 7 yrs he worked here and brought 2 farms then went back in late 1930's to grab his family and bring them to NZ. Because they were farmers they weren't required to go to war but supply the country instead. Only have one relative that went to war, Vietnam war.

[Hitman]

The most remote military ancestors I know of, are from my father' s family, when two brothers served as knights in the Army of King James I in the XIII century.

On my mother's family, the most remote military ancestor I know about was an artillery sargeant who died in the Napoleonic wars circa 1812.

My dad's father served as artillery captain in the spanish civil war with Franco's troops. He survived and died aged 84 in 1984 having suffered no injuries.

My mother's father served as medical assistant in the republican army and despite the dangerous job (Picking and carrying injuried combatants through the trenches) he also survived and never was injured. He died aged 69 also in 1984.

Fortunately for me, they never met in the field and killed the other, -which could have been possible given they fought in opposite sides- :huh:

[Kipparikalle]

My thread rocks! :rock:

My dad's father was engineer during the war, behind the lines.
Fixing the tanks, and driving the supplies to the artilerry positions.

He died couple of months later when I was born.

[Oberon]

On my fathers side of the family, well, I'm not 100% sure since my Grandad hasn't said much about his time in service, but he did once mention something about being in the Highlanders, but I think it was probably after the Second World War.
I do have a grand-uncle (possibly great-grand-uncle) who was killed by a sniper at Verdun in the First World War, but for the rest, I don't know on that side. Odd, I see more of my fathers side of the family, but know more about my mothers side... :doh:

[Fish]

My granddad from fathers side was very ill and died shortly after the war, my grandad mothers side was at sea fishing when the war started, he saw me the day I was born (29 april) just hours before he left harbour, and came back 5 years later.
He was ordered to England and volunteer the navy.
During the war he was skipper on a minesweeper a dangerous job with lots of loses.
He manage to survive and was on the river Schelde while the germans are on one side, the Canadians on the other side shooting with all they have.
The river was crucial for the allies to supply Antwerpen with all stuf a army needs.
Till then all supply came via France.
He got the highest military decoration, the Military Willems Order.

I never forget when I was in the army (Dutch commandos) my granddad told me he had seen a lot of greenbarets dead, floting in the river, those days. There was a commando raid on the Island of Walcheren.
He was a very amabile man and a great granddad.

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/31530/2001903515087488720_th.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001903515087488720)

[Jimbuna]

Fantastic thread....how about we include fathers as well ?(for us older folk to talk about) :hmm:

[Sailor Steve]

I already mentioned mine. I'm sure there's no problem with it; the OP is just younger is all.

[lesrae]

Like Sailor Steve, my dad was too young to fight in WWII (born in 1930) but did National Service in the RAF.

My mum's dad worked at a cipher/signal intercept establishment somewhere near Edinburgh. In the lead-up to D-Day he disappeared for a week when they weren't allowed to go home - when he eventually got home my granny nearly brained him, she thought he was having an affair!

My mum's grandfather was killed in the trenches at Loos: http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=1768050 (http://www.cwgc.org/search/certificate.aspx?casualty=1768050)

My dad's dad was a WWI dispatch rider at the front line, until he was invalided home after being gassed. He was never fully fit again and died before I was born, from a related illness.

[Camaero]

Never got to meet either grandfather. On my dads side, he served in the Seabees and was possibly in Africa, and for sure Normandy, and pushed into Germany in 1944. My dad says that he never talked much about it, so details are sketchy.

"Can do!" :cool:

My great grandfather was at Pearl when it was bombed and was drafted to help out on the spot. Don't know what happened from there.

My family didn't really seem to keep records very well so I am not sure about the rest. I know one or two related family members fought in the civil war for the confederates and one was even highly decorated for a battle, but like I said, the details are not there. It is unfortunate, as I would like to see more of where my family came from. On my mothers side the information is almost zero.

[Kipparikalle]

Fantastic thread....how about we include fathers as well ?(for us older folk to talk about) :hmm:
Request Granted, carry on.

[ReallyDedPoet]

My great grandfather fought and died in WWI. I do not know much about him, but I am trying hard to change that.


RDP

[Tchocky]

A possible distant relative of mine, serving in the RNVR went down on the SS Normandy, torpedoed in January 1918.
Simply put, our names are identical, and his parents lived a few miles from where my paternal grandfather was born. My surname is rather unusual in this part of the country, so it looks likely that we're related.
SS Normandy, 618grt, defensively-armed, 25 January 1918, 8 miles E by N from Cape La Hague, torpedoed without warning and sunk by submarine, 14 lives lost
My maternal grandfather spent the Second World War in the Irish Army, first as a sentry and air-raid warden, then a Vickers gun instructor.

[Janus]

Unfortunately I have never talked much about this topic with my grandfather, and I think he did not want to.
All I know is that he was in Stalingrad in WW2 and was flown out of there after he got injured. He then was at the western front and sometime got POWed by US forces. He was already on the way to Great Britain when the ship he was on had to return because of some (german) offensive going on in France (probably Ardennes offensive).

Very little information I have, I wish I had more but now it is too late :oops:

[NiclDoe]

My grandfather was in Poland. He was a young Kid when Germany invaded Poland. When he was young he tried to help Jews get to safety and hide them from the SS. He also help take care of them if they are trying to run away on his family farm. It was a very hard time and was happy after Russia came to Poland.

[DeepIron]

My grandfather on my Mom's side served as a Radioman aboard a Destroyer Escort. He was with the carrier task force that arrived at Pearl the day after the Japanese attacked...

He served on various Destroyers and DE's throughout the entire Pacific War and was present at a number of battles and confrontations with the Japanese. He was present at Tokyo Harbor when the Japanese surrendered. At the end of his Naval career of 30 years, he was a Chief Warrent Officer WO-1, the highest rank attainable (at the time) for an enlisted man.

My grandfather will be 95 this year and is still in excellent physical and mental health.

[waste gate]

My maternal grand father served in the wehrmacht, heer,for three months before he skipped off to Switzerland and sat the war out in that country. My mothers brother (my uncle) also served in the wehrmacht, heer, and was held in a French POW camp for nine months. He was half dead when released and spent a year in hospital recuperating.

My paternal side is more interesting and some would say imfamous.
My grand father born in 1905 in Springfield , Ill, did not serve in the armed forces, too old I guess. Another paternal relative was the imfamous one.

Part of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) this fellow was in charge of the bureau that was set up to eliminate Jewish influence from German life. He brought Adolf Eichmann into the SD and worked directly for Heidricht Reinhardt. Later he worked with Himmler in the Schutzstaffel (SS).

After the war there is some evidence that he worked for the CIA (OSS), but hard to say for sure. He became a spokesman for the german FDP in early 1949 and later for the Coca-Cola Company in west germany (non-official cover for the CIA perhaps). At or about May 1960 all references to him stop. Interestingly Eichmann was captured by the Mossad on May 11, 1960.

[The WosMan]

Wow, my guess is he wasn't really working for Coca-Cola.

My dads grandfather served in the pacific in the US Army. He was the youngest guy in his group when he signed up in 1942 (he will be 84 years old in December). I still haven't gotten the whole story from him on everything he did over there but he specialized in radio and communications and had been in New Guinea, Austrialia, and at the end in '45 he ended up at the University of Manilla in the Phillippines where he ran a Japanese prison camp and was directly attached under Gen MacArthur. He has some pretty entertaining stories including when they were in New Guinea and they couldn't get a drink so he and a group of friends learned to make booze from oldest guy in their group who happened to be 38 and had been a prohibition era bootlegger. They found some old steel wash bins and they turned them into stills to make something to drink.

He only reminisces about the good times, I think there is other stuff he either did or saw that he doesn't like to talk about.

[AVGWarhawk]

I must be getting old.....:oops:.....everyone here talking about their grandfathers in WW2. I had two Uncles and one Aunt in WW2. Two in the PTO and one in the ETO. Heck I have pictures of WW1 aircraft in Fla from my Great Uncle who was in the airforce there. Funny to see the biplanes.

Anyway, my Uncle in the ETO was shot down over Kiel Germany June 13th, 1943. He as a B-17 pilot. The target was the uboat pens. My aunt in the PTO was a WAVE and overseen 30 nurses. She was a tough bird after that experience. She passes away about 8 years ago. My other uncle the PTO worked on the aircraft carriers although he never talks about it. He was an aircraft mechanic and also worked on the torpedoes. One day he went flying with a hot dog pilot. Loops and rolls, etc. He never went flying again, EVER, since that day. He lives in Minehill NJ and had worked for Mars/MM after the war. Although his mind fails him every now and then, he is doing well.

[The WosMan]

I must be getting old.....:oops:.....everyone here talking about their grandfathers in WW2. I had two Uncles and one Aunt in WW2. Two in the PTO and one in the ETO. Heck I have pictures of WW1 aircraft in Fla from my Great Uncle who was in the airforce there. Funny to see the biplanes.

Anyway, my Uncle in the ETO was shot down over Kiel Germany June 13th, 1943. He as a B-17 pilot. The target was the uboat pens. My aunt in the PTO was a WAVE and overseen 30 nurses. She was a tough bird after that experience. She passes away about 8 years ago. My other uncle the PTO worked on the aircraft carriers although he never talks about it. He was an aircraft mechanic and also worked on the torpedoes. One day he went flying with a hot dog pilot. Loops and rolls, etc. He never went flying again, EVER, since that day. He lives in Minehill NJ and had worked for Mars/MM after the war. Although his mind fails him every now and then, he is doing well.

You're only as old as you feel. Your talk of your uncle reminded me of my great uncle (who is still around at 86). He was in the PTO and used to be inserted in special missions via sub or paradrop and would perform recon on an area. His specialty was drawing and sketching the layout and the enemy emplacements which would be used for war planning later down the line. He is an excellent artist who used the GI Bill to go to art school after the war. He had a studio in San Diego and in his life has done some sculptures of famous people including meeting Ronald Reagan when he was the Gov of California (also one of his heroes) and doing a bust of him and also meeting Pope John Paul II and creating a bust of him for the Vatican.

[CCIP]

I'm from Russia, so...

Neither of my grandfathers served, although my paternal grandparents both survived the Siege of Leningrad as children, and maternal grandfather was seriously injured and lost his best friend when they opened a barn door shortly after the germans retreated from their village (it turned out to be boobytrapped).

All my great-grandfathers served in various Red Army posts in WWII. One, a doctor by profession, was a field surgeon with the rank of senior lieutenant. He received a shrapnel wound in the head (the shrapnel could not be removed), but recovered and continued serving. Another grandfather was shot in the leg by a Finnish sniper on the Karelian front. He lost his leg and became a severely depressed alcoholic, receiving little reward from the government for his service and not living long after the war ended.

Of my great-grandfathers, one started WWII as a regiment commander and worked his way up to command an infantry division. Another did not serve in WWII, but fought for the Red Army against foreign intervention in the civil war. Some of the others were active revolutionaries. Many other family members were predominantly on the White side and left the country during the civil war.

Ironically many of my ancestors were from the German nobility, while a branch of my family is ethnically Finnish, which is why to me the world wars always seemed like a tragic joke (on my family).

[Happy Times]

My grandfather is the last original member of his platoon, alive.
He lost all his friends, every one of them.

During the massive tank-battle of 'Tali-Ihantala' He had to be motorcycle messenger.
During that time he accidentally drived over the lines to the russian side, he drived past big russian tank, truck and soldier-convoys.

He managed to get back, russians didn't notice that he was a finn.
He just drived back, waved a hand to the quards on the road. And he was back on own side.

My paternal grandad was also in Tali-Ihantala, almost got captured but they managed to fight away. He got awaded for bravery once. He doesnt mind telling stories about war, hasnt got any big traumas out of it.
He was an sergeant in the infantry, from 1941-1944.
He was too young for Winter War in 1939-40, so he was a guard in an POW camp.

The movie is coming out on Independence Day btw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPiaYpqPwvo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tali-Ihantala

[seafarer]

What about the women in the family? My grandmother was a nurse on a hospital ship off Gallipoli in WWI. We gave her diary and some other items to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. She treated mostly Aussie wounded, and she passed her diary around the wards for anyone who wished to write or draw something. They filled it with poems, notes, stories and sketches.

[Dmitry Markov]

Well my grandfathers were too young to serve the army in WWII, and on my mother side there were no warriors at all except my great-grandfather who fought in the civil war in Chapaev's division (there is a classical movie "Chapaev" - it is tought in cinema colleges - it is all about my great-grandfather's division commander) and my mother's dad with all his family (they are peasants) were captured by Germans and moved to Austria as slaves - but it happend in 1943 , untill that moment their village was right on the frontline - and there are still trenches, barbed wires and a lot of war stuff in forests and fields around. Practically every year while helping my grandmother in her garden I dig out a Mauser rifle's clips, mortar shell's tails, or something else.

My father's relatives have fought much more. My great-uncle's chest was covered with medals "За Отвагу" (for Courage) which were real soldier's medals - they were only given to real field soldiers and not to cabinet-sitters. But he never liked to talk about war. All I know is that he was a tank commander and I don't remember wich ones they were - T-60's or T-70's but as I remember - he never mentioned T-34's as being he's command.
My grandmother's dad was a marines (in Soviet and Russian army this kind of infantry is called Sea Infantry) capitain - he invented some kind of mobile stand for machine-guns so they could be used as an AA-measure. He died under Novorossisk - he was wounded during Germans attack and then moved to a blindage, shortly after that German artillery shell destroyed his blindage with everybody in it including my great-grandfather.
Another grand-uncle was an artillerist - when all of his guncrew have fallen, he being wounded, alone had served his gun - pointed, charged and fired at the tanks. After another wound he lost consciousness and was POW'ed by Germans. Somehow he survived and after the war he was moved from German camp to the Soviet one as NKVD checked everyone who was a POW. After the "check" he was finally released but untill the end of his days his health was not very strong.

My another great-grandfather trained Soviet special forces during WWII being ski-master of sports. Later he became a Honoured Coach of Soviet Union for Light Athletics and he has trained many Soviet Light Athletics masters who became world's champions.

Best Regards

[horsa]

In 1914 my grandmothers brother could best be described as an ordinary man with an ordinary life. He wasn’t a pacifist, but made it clear to his close family that, given a choice, he didn’t want to go to war. In late 1915, under pressure, he enlisted. He was eventually posted to Ypres where he probably made the best of his semi-enforced situation.

On his first tour in the front line trenches he was shot dead by a snipers bullet.

For most people this is what total war meant.

On the family gravestone, back in England there is an inscription that says, “Killed in action in France”.

It’s sad, and for me, deeply telling, that his family didn’t really understand where he was and what he was doing there. Ypres is in Belgium.



http://aycu26.webshots.com/image/31545/2001040994018799883_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001040994018799883)

[Packerton]

My Grandfather was a Merchant Navy Sailor In the Canaidian Navy , He survived the war and told me when I was younger that his convoys (As in the convoys he served in altogether) were attacked 8 times throught he war, his cloest expirience to sinking was when the ship in front of his Cargo ship was hit by a torpedo and sunk fast as he said.

[Heibges]

My father was in the 1/172nd Infantry Regiment in the Vermont National Guard. They trained at Camp Blanding in Florida, and Camp Shelby in Mississippi. My father was a radio operator in an infantry company. They fought from Guadalcanal to the Phillipines. My dad had a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

My uncle was crewman on a bomber in Europe. He was shot down, and spent a couple of years in a German POW Camp. He had a lot of troubles when he returned from the War unforturnately.

[Biggles]

Hm....the closest thing I get is my grandmothers husband's brother-in-law war story from the time he was a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress serving in Europe flying missions over Germany. But since he isn't my grandfather, I shouldn't tell his big story from the war here....

[Jimbuna]

My father 84 and still with us) lied about his age and enlisted in the Merchant Navy in 38 during the time of the Spanish Civil War.
He was on a ship called the Euphobia (I tnink) when it was bombed in Barcelona harbour. He told me (with a chuckle) "The bombs were the size of something a little larger than a hand grenade".
At the outbreak of WWII he sailed the Atlantic mainly.
He was at Dunkirk "I was sick of taking them and bringing them back" (the army that is) :lol:
He was on the last ship to leave Marseille before it's fall "The Royal Navy scarpered the day before" taking off a French Admiral and has a letter (all tattered and torn) of thanks from him.
He was on the only convoy to sail to Murmansk without an escort (the escorts were needed for the Torch landings), receiving £50 bonus.....I think 13 ships sailed and only 4 or 5 returned.
He was one of the fortunate survivors of Convoy PQ17, he was never on a ship that was sunk, but can vividly remember the tales of merchantmen 'running down' survivors from another stricken merchantmen because the escorts would not allow any ships to stop and pick up survivors.
On D-Day his ship (Empire Galiad I think) dropped anchor half a mile offshore then ran full ahead at the beach during low tide, thus enabling them to pull themselves off at high tide (that was the theory anyway) an hour and a half after the first wave of troops went ashore. His most vivid memories are of Panzer tanks appearing over a hillock a few hundred yards inland, firing a shell then reversing out of sight again. He told me that as soon as the Panzer appeared, dozens of escort vessel and hastily erected shore guns would obliterate either the Panzer or whatever it was using for cover. Either way, if the first salvo didn't do the job, the second one always did.

My fathers pride in what he and his shipmates endured for their country is sadly tainted by the fact that it wasn't until a few years ago that his government eventually recognised their bravery by awarding them a small, cheap lapel badge.
This was only brought about after a sustained press campaign which highlighted (amongst other things) the fact that 20 years earlier, the Russian Ambassador in London visited Newcastle and awarded them specially minted medals for their endeavours on the unescorted Russian Convoy.
His worst D-Day memory was watching a direct hit on a ship (he's not sure from what) and the dozens of nurses that were onboard jumping overboard wearing lifejackets only to be straffed "Butchery" he called it.

We should all feel justly proud of what our loved ones did during this terrible period in our worlds history.

Lest We Forget.

[CptCrunch]

My great grandad commanded a battle ship in WWI , fought at Jutland and the Dardenells, and was killed in service Bombay in an accidental oxcart collision on shore leave. This was after bringing in his ship with no rudder after having been torpedoed by a biplane - he was posthumously decorated.

My Grandad on my dad's side commanded 4 WWII mine sweepers in sucession in the Irish sea , was torpedoed 4 times by U boats and survived them all, we even have a painting of one sinking.

My other Grandad was 1st mate the Mechant navy and ran the Gibraltar convoys.

My dad lied about his age and joined the merchant navy at 16, was a radio man on the Queen Mary in the Atlantic convoys, joined the RN as soon as he was old enough (still a year early) and spent most of the war on the Ark Royal. When a surface mine was spotted the ship hove to. Everyone came on deck with 303's and shot at the horns. The peron who exploded it got half a crown from the skipper!

Sometimes when I'm blasting convoys from my type IXC I think I may be in danger of preventing my own existence...:D

[DeepSix]

First off, there are some really great photos and stories in this thread! All of these posts are about fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers with unique and fascinating stories - some spanning mulitple countries and generations.

My own (maternal) grandfather's story is not as remarkable as these, but I'll share it anyway. He graduated from VMI (an American military academy) in 1934 and was in the reserves when World War II started. An artilleryman and engineer, he was sent to Fort Sill and eventually ended up in the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion as Battalion S-4 (supply officer). This unit crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary in August, 1944. Granddad was briefly based in England during the late summer. I'm not sure where but we have a photograph of him in front of Salisbury Cathedral, so I think the unit must have been in that area. At any rate, he wasn't in England long, arriving on the continent sometime in September '44 - over the beach, I think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v676/PocketPlane/Grandfather2.jpg

The 285th was just one typical of hundreds of similar units (artillery, engineers, transport, etc.) that were not permanently attached to a division and could, theoretically, be assigned here or there as needed. It was comprised of three companies (called "batteries" since this was nominally an arty unit) - A, B, and HQ. I think my grandfather was initially assigned to B Battery, but when he became supply officer he went over to Battalion HQ. At any rate, B Battery is significant because on December 17 it was captured by Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the 1st S.S. Panzer Division) while heading to St. Vith to join the 7th Armored Division. Peiper and his men herded their prisoners into a field and machine-gunned them. That event became known as the Malmedy Massacre. My grandfather was riding in a jeep from St. Vith to meet Battery B when it was captured; he was cut off from them by the German advance.

My grandfather never talked much about his wartime experiences. Unfortunately, I was too young for him to tell me much - other than talking about riding in a jeep with no headlights, spending Christmas Day (and several other days besides) in a forest and surrounded by Germans, etc., I don't know a lot about his day-to-day activity or those of his unit. He used to call ambulances "meat wagons," and if it snowed he would always say he was glad he wasn't in St. Vith/the Ardennes/Germany, etc. He was certainly not a melancholy man, though. He died in 1992 at the age of 81; he was a true gentleman and I still miss him everyday.

The 285th ended the war in Meiningen, Germany, from where it shipped back to the U.S.

That grandfather had a brother who went to North Africa and Italy, and I had another great uncle on my dad's side who went to North Africa and Italy, too. I know hardly anything about their experiences, unfortunately. IIRC my dad's uncle was on Patton's staff; he stayed in the Army after the war, worked for the Pentagon and lived most of the time in Italy. In the 1970s he was put on the Red Brigade's hit list.

Anyway - that's about it. Great thread, and btw why isn't it stickied yet?

[IrishUboot]

My grandfather (on my father's side) served as a training officer in the Royal Air Force at the time of the Battle of Britain. I'm not sure where he was stationed, but I'll ask my Da when he gets in. I remember him saying that he was on newsreel film at the time, obviously something I'd love to see.

Various uncles and that also served. I believe many were involved in the drops at Operation Market Garden. One of them blew his nose or ear off with a grenade, one was hit in the drop.

On a side note, it would be nice to have some contributions to the thread from those who had fathers and grandfathers serve on the German side.

Edit: Just read waste gate's post. Very interesting. Keep them coming.

[Kaleun]

hi,

Short and sweet - grandfather (Mother's side) was in logistics for the british army, he drove low-loaders for moving tanks and other armour about.

Grandfather (Father's side), god rest his soul, was a naval diver for the Royal Navy (possibly a special operations group diver, later referred to as the SBS, but he remained tight lipped about all the things he saw and did in the war).

Regards

Kaleun

[Biggles]

My grandfather didn't serve in the swedish army during the war, 'cause he was a farmer, who, 'course, was also a very important job.

However, my grandmothers husband's brother-in-law was a navigator on a B-17 during the war. He ended up in Sweden after his plane got pretty banged up over Berlin. All the instruments were gone....and at least two of his crewmembers was killed. They did an emergency landing on an airfield in Sweden. Thinking they were in Germany, they threw themselves out of the plane and lied down on the landing strip. The chief of the airfield saw this, and said reassuring over the speakers: "Relax boys, you're in Sweden." As you probably realised, they were stuck there until the end of the war, since Sweden was neutral (and no fuzz about that please!:roll: )

[sunvalleyslim]

One Grandfather was a periscope repairman at the Vallejo shipyards. The other was a Ammunition truck driver in WW1

[Packerton]

My father 84 and still with us) lied about his age and enlisted in the Merchant Navy in 38 during the time of the Spanish Civil War.
He was on a ship called the Euphobia (I tnink) when it was bombed in Barcelona harbour. He told me (with a chuckle) "The bombs were the size of something a little larger than a hand grenade".
At the outbreak of WWII he sailed the Atlantic mainly.
He was at Dunkirk "I was sick of taking them and bringing them back" (the army that is) :lol:
He was on the last ship to leave Marseille before it's fall "The Royal Navy scarpered the day before" taking off a French Admiral and has a letter (all tattered and torn) of thanks from him.
He was on the only convoy to sail to Murmansk without an escort (the escorts were needed for the Torch landings), receiving £50 bonus.....I think 13 ships sailed and only 4 or 5 returned.
He was one of the fortunate survivors of Convoy PQ17, he was never on a ship that was sunk, but can vividly remember the tales of merchantmen 'running down' survivors from another stricken merchantmen because the escorts would not allow any ships to stop and pick up survivors.
On D-Day his ship (Empire Galiad I think) dropped anchor half a mile offshore then ran full ahead at the beach during low tide, thus enabling them to pull themselves off at high tide (that was the theory anyway) an hour and a half after the first wave of troops went ashore. His most vivid memories are of Panzer tanks appearing over a hillock a few hundred yards inland, firing a shell then reversing out of sight again. He told me that as soon as the Panzer appeared, dozens of escort vessel and hastily erected shore guns would obliterate either the Panzer or whatever it was using for cover. Either way, if the first salvo didn't do the job, the second one always did.

My fathers pride in what he and his shipmates endured for their country is sadly tainted by the fact that it wasn't until a few years ago that his government eventually recognised their bravery by awarding them a small, cheap lapel badge.
This was only brought about after a sustained press campaign which highlighted (amongst other things) the fact that 20 years earlier, the Russian Ambassador in London visited Newcastle and awarded them specially minted medals for their endeavours on the unescorted Russian Convoy.
His worst D-Day memory was watching a direct hit on a ship (he's not sure from what) and the dozens of nurses that were onboard jumping overboard wearing lifejackets only to be straffed "Butchery" he called it.

We should all feel justly proud of what our loved ones did during this terrible period in our worlds history.

Lest We Forget.


Jeez sorry to hear that, I can imagine someone doing that kind of Thing for their country and not getting barely ANY recognition for it thats just wrong in every way.

[Dowly]

None of my grandfathers were in the war, but two of my other grandad's brothers were in Continuation War. They both died unfortunately. :cry: Other was shot while moving to the neighbouring trench to give the message that the war is over. And the other survived the war, but was killed in an car accident while they were moving out from the lines.

[Jimbuna]

My father 84 and still with us) lied about his age and enlisted in the Merchant Navy in 38 during the time of the Spanish Civil War.
He was on a ship called the Euphobia (I tnink) when it was bombed in Barcelona harbour. He told me (with a chuckle) "The bombs were the size of something a little larger than a hand grenade".
At the outbreak of WWII he sailed the Atlantic mainly.
He was at Dunkirk "I was sick of taking them and bringing them back" (the army that is) :lol:
He was on the last ship to leave Marseille before it's fall "The Royal Navy scarpered the day before" taking off a French Admiral and has a letter (all tattered and torn) of thanks from him.
He was on the only convoy to sail to Murmansk without an escort (the escorts were needed for the Torch landings), receiving £50 bonus.....I think 13 ships sailed and only 4 or 5 returned.
He was one of the fortunate survivors of Convoy PQ17, he was never on a ship that was sunk, but can vividly remember the tales of merchantmen 'running down' survivors from another stricken merchantmen because the escorts would not allow any ships to stop and pick up survivors.
On D-Day his ship (Empire Galiad I think) dropped anchor half a mile offshore then ran full ahead at the beach during low tide, thus enabling them to pull themselves off at high tide (that was the theory anyway) an hour and a half after the first wave of troops went ashore. His most vivid memories are of Panzer tanks appearing over a hillock a few hundred yards inland, firing a shell then reversing out of sight again. He told me that as soon as the Panzer appeared, dozens of escort vessel and hastily erected shore guns would obliterate either the Panzer or whatever it was using for cover. Either way, if the first salvo didn't do the job, the second one always did.

My fathers pride in what he and his shipmates endured for their country is sadly tainted by the fact that it wasn't until a few years ago that his government eventually recognised their bravery by awarding them a small, cheap lapel badge.
This was only brought about after a sustained press campaign which highlighted (amongst other things) the fact that 20 years earlier, the Russian Ambassador in London visited Newcastle and awarded them specially minted medals for their endeavours on the unescorted Russian Convoy.
His worst D-Day memory was watching a direct hit on a ship (he's not sure from what) and the dozens of nurses that were onboard jumping overboard wearing lifejackets only to be straffed "Butchery" he called it.

We should all feel justly proud of what our loved ones did during this terrible period in our worlds history.

Lest We Forget.


Jeez sorry to hear that, I can imagine someone doing that kind of Thing for their country and not getting barely ANY recognition for it thats just wrong in every way.

That's modern day Britain for ya :down:

[Dan D]

My paternal grandfather is buried in the region of Vladimirovka in Moldova, between Romania and the Ukraine that is.
My father was 6 weeks old when my grandmother received message that her husband was KIA. She then wrote a letter to my grandfather’s military unit because she wanted to know whether her last letter had reached him before his death, where she told him about the birth of my father.
A comrade “Fritz” wrote back that if my grandfather “Franz” had knowledge about the birth of his son, he had not told it to anybody.
“Fritz” then told her what he knew about what had happened to “Franz”:
At 6 am, April 5th 1944 the Soviet Army launched a massive tank attack. The Germans could not hold the line and so the order was given to pull-out fast. My grandfather was part of the medical service and so he had to stay back to get the evacuation of the wounded from a field hospital done or to go into captivity with them. He did not show up at the new line of defence and so he was declared MIA.
About 2 weeks later the Germans launched a counter-attack and were able to retake the old positions for a while. Search deployments then found my grandfather’s body lying by a house, where he had been looking for cover when a tank shell killed him, so it seemed.
He was then buried on a provisional military cemetery in Agronomovka, today: Agronomul.

Part of the letter was a very precise drawing which gave valuable information that helped me to locate the about position of the cemetery on a modern road map of Moldova. I then contacted the German war graves commission to find out, whether the cemetery is already known to them.
They have now written back that they are already in negotiations with the owner of the land where the cemetery once was. If they get his permission for digging, which in many cases, I was told, is basically a matter of paying compensation for the loss of crops, the remains, probably some old pairs of leather boots and some uniform buttons, if they find something, would then be moved to the Central German military cemetery in Moldova in Chisinau.
I also had email contact with a guy who is searching for his father's grave in Moldova for 35 years now and so far he has exhumed the remains of 600 German soldiers but none of them was his father. He keeps on digging.

It is just an idea so far, but my father and I will probably fly to Chisinau and from there we would take a car to explore the area for one or two days.

[Happy Times]

My paternal grandfather is buried in the region of Vladimirovka in Moldova, between Romania and the Ukraine that is.
My father was 6 weeks old when my grandmother received message that her husband was KIA. She then wrote a letter to my grandfather’s military unit because she wanted to know whether her last letter had reached him before his death, where she told him about the birth of my father.
A comrade “Fritz” wrote back that if my grandfather “Franz” had knowledge about the birth of his son, he had not told it to anybody.
“Fritz” then told her what he knew about what had happened to “Franz”:
At 6 am, April 5th 1944 the Soviet Army launched a massive tank attack. The Germans could not hold the line and so the order was given to pull-out fast. My grandfather was part of the medical service and so he had to stay back to get the evacuation of the wounded from a field hospital done or to go into captivity with them. He did not show up at the new line of defence and so he was declared MIA.
About 2 weeks later the Germans launched a counter-attack and were able to retake the old positions for a while. Search deployments then found my grandfather’s body lying by a house, where he had been looking for cover when a tank shell killed him, so it seemed.
He was then buried on a provisional military cemetery in Agronomovka, today: Agronomul.

Part of the letter was a very precise drawing which gave valuable information that helped me to locate the about position of the cemetery on a modern road map of Moldova. I then contacted the German war graves commission to find out, whether the cemetery is already known to them.
They have now written back that they are already in negotiations with the owner of the land where the cemetery once was. If they get his permission for digging, which in many cases, I was told, is basically a matter of paying compensation for the loss of crops, the remains, probably some old pairs of leather boots and some uniform buttons, if they find something, would then be moved to the Central German military cemetery in Moldova in Chisinau.
I also had email contact with a guy who is searching for his father's grave in Moldova for 35 years now and so far he has exhumed the remains of 600 German soldiers but none of them was his father. He keeps on digging.

It is just an idea so far, but my father and I will probably fly to Chisinau and from there we would take a car to explore the area for one or two days.

With that exact info you have a good chance of finding him. Can i ask why you wouldnt bring him with you from Moldova?

[CptSimFreak]

During WW2, my grandfather from fathers side was a captain for land-lease boat going back and forth to USA.

http://x79.xanga.com/77da375a7913257581045/w38593099.jpg
His relative was KIA by sniper during Fin-war while he was unloading artillery shells


My grandfather from mothers side was too young for action. He talked once about his village getting bombed and he got a concussion from which.
His father was MIA under St Petersburg. (no pictures)
Grandmothers father was in calvary. After WW2 he was tank commander in Berlin. He is on the right. I have his medals and pipe..
http://x08.xanga.com/5f0a3b5a7063257581069/b38593114.jpg

His sister was during Blockade of Leningrad. She was a nurse.

[Reaves]

My uncle in Vietnam,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/Reaves_42/Robertdevers.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/Reaves_42/bobsignalman.jpg

[Kipparikalle]

Now let's sticky this thread please, so newcomers will notice this too and shares their grandfather's/dad's history.

[Dan D]

[quote=Dan D]
With that exact info you have a good chance of finding him. Can i ask why you wouldnt bring him with you from Moldova?

In a cup?
Now, seriously, I like your way of thinking, but I certainly won't start digging in Moldova, nor would my father,
What mattered for my father, was to get an idea, where his father went awol. For many years he thought his father is buried in Yugoslavia, Besides, that would not make a difference.
He is pleased now that he can show the place on a map to his mother and i am pleased that I could help him here. That's it.

[bookworm_020]

My Gandfather didn't join up when war was decleared in Australia, instead waiting a couple of years hoping by then things would have settled down and he would avoid being thrown in at the sharp end without support. Shortly after he did join, Japan bombed pearl habour, and by the time he had finnished training his battalon was posted to New Guniea to Fight on the Kokoda track.

On the way from Sydney, the ship stoped at Cairns and all the troops did a heavy transport driving course. Half a dozen men were picked to stay behind, the rest were shiped to New Guinea, where they lost a large nuber of men. My Grandfather was on of the men who was picked to stay behind and train others.

He Did end up in New Guniea, as part of the logistics and supply group there. He did tell some intresting storys about building rope bridges for tuch to cross gourges!
He end the war on the island of Wewack, where he was left with other soldiers without resupply for three months. They lived off a large stock of baked beans till they were picked up. He didn't eat baked beans untill just before his death 55 years later.

[Nokia]

My mother's father was in the Waffen SS as a AA gunner and after that he fouht somwere else but I don't know exactly since I'm doing some research but havn't found much yet. And my father's father was in JR12 and probably fought in Ihantala but I'm not 100% sure since I have never asked him and now he's having problems with his memory but I'm doing research about him too atm.

[mr chris]

My grandfather on my farthers side was a 1st officer on a destoryer escorting mechants on the artic and and atlantic convoy runs during WWII he surived the war but died about 10 years after the end of the war.

[Happy Times]

My mother's father was in the Waffen SS as a AA gunner and after that he fouht somwere else but I don't know exactly since I'm doing some research but havn't found much yet. And my father's father was in JR12 and probably fought in Ihantala but I'm not 100% sure since I have never asked him and now he's having problems with his memory but I'm doing research about him too atm.

The waffen-SS guys came back almost all in -43, they went in different units.
Listed some books about them, i have the matrikkeli (dont know the english word) that has them all.
So if you want to, PM me his name and i can check, were he went after he came back.


Mauno Jokipii: Panttipataljoona, 1968
Veikko Elo: Pantin lunastajat, 1993
Niilo Lappalainen: Panssarieverstin kuolema (The Death of an armour colonel), 1995
David Littlejohn: Foreign Legions of the Third Reich, vol 4, 1987
Peter Abbot & Nigel Thomas: Germany's Eastern Front Allies 1941–45, 1989
Richard Landwehr: Siegrunen, issues #14, 34 and 43
Kari Kuusela & Olli Wikberg: Wikingin suomalaiset, 1996
Unto Parvilahti: Terekille ja takaisin, 1958
Paul Carell: Marssi Venäjälle, 1964
George H. Stein (suom. 2004) Waffen-SS. Hitlerin eliittikaarti sodassa 1939-1945.

[StdDev]

My Grandfather, newly emigrated to the United States, was not accepted in the US forces.. so he returned to England and joined the "Duke of Cambridge's Own 17th Lancers" in WWI
http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/DickBARTHOLOMEW17thLancers.jpg

Did you know that England had a "Deaths Head" outfit?
http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/17thB1.jpg

http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/DickonSnowball1.jpg

As a matter of fact, two of my grandfathers brothers went back to England and joined the same outfit!
http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/JimGeorgeDickWWIA.jpg
James, George, and Richard Bartholomew

http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/17th1.jpg
Look closely at the hat pins and collar pins.. "Death or Glory"


And finally I'll leave you with this.....
http://www.sfvsf.org/photos/War%20Pictures/WWI/17thAnthemA.jpg

[JALU3]

Unfortunatly both my grandparents are dead, as is my wife's. Time will do that :dead: :cry:

However, on my father's side (http://www.raosubic.com/departedshipmates.html) he put in his 20 and retired in the late 60's . . . SK2. Nothing was mentioned of him serving in any sense in WWII. However, may have been stationed aboard ships during the conflicts afterwards. He never really talked about his service. However, unlike other Filipinos he retained his US Citizenship after Independence was granted in 1947.

On my mother's side (http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040918/news_1m18obitkp.html), he was part of one of the guerilla cells operating on Bataan/Olongapo Area, being given the rank of CPL. After WWII, he began working a long career at NB Subic Bay. Both of his sons, my uncles, went to serve long careers in the USN.

My Wife's grandfather, who died in the Philippines, before I got to meet him was a guerilla in the Anao (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anao,_Tarlac) area. Near the end of the war he joined the "new" Philippine Scouts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Scouts#Liberation_and_the_.E2.80.9CNew. E2.80.9D_Scouts), and served as part of the occupation force on Okinawa. He ended up joining INP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_National_Police), and retired after a long career.

[Ishmael]

On Dec, 7, 1941, my father was an able seaman aboard the SS Lena Luckenback about 600 miles east-north-east of Oahu on the run out from San Francisco. About 300 miles to the nor-nor-east of them was the SS Cynthia Olson. My father told me of hearing her distress calls a few hours before the attack began.


http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4013/colsonui1.jpg


This SUP ship was the first sunk by a Japanese submarine on December 7, 1941. The attack occurred a few hours before Pearl Harbor was bombed, so the shock of the doomed sailors could not have been greater. She went down with all hands. The sinking of the Cynthia Olson symbolically represents the final intersection of two eras. Like steam replacing sail many years earlier, the onset of World War II began the replacement of many of the aging coastwise “steam schooners,” a trade that had grown with the SUP since its inception.

As a civilian with a critical job skill, he had a draft deferment for the entire war. His critical job skill was taking troops to invasion beaches and dropping them off. As a civilian, he took part in the Attu, Kiska, North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Iwo Jima and the Japanese Occupation. He was shot at by representatives of all three Axis powers and only used a firearm in the commission of a felony(armed robbery) for which he served a year in San Quentin Prison. He remained a merchant seaman until 1948 when he came ashore to marry my mom.

His brother, my Uncle Emmett was a Lieutenant Commander USNR and was port captain of Noumea, New Caledonia. My Aunt's ex-husband Glen was one of the "Battered Bastards of Bastogne" serving in the 101st Airborne from D-Day to Berlin.


Bill, what was your grandfather's name? As a Scott, Winfield has been an interest of mine and was the most influential and brilliant US general of the 19th century as both the Conqueror of Mexico and Architect of the Anaconda Strategy that secured Victory for Federal forces and preserved the Union. In my hometown of Benicia, both William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant were posted as young lieutenants. Sherman was adjutant to the last military governor of California, Col. Roberts Barnes Mason and was present during the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill.

[Happy Times]

My mother's father was in the Waffen SS as a AA gunner and after that he fouht somwere else but I don't know exactly since I'm doing some research but havn't found much yet. And my father's father was in JR12 and probably fought in Ihantala but I'm not 100% sure since I have never asked him and now he's having problems with his memory but I'm doing research about him too atm.

The waffen-SS guys came back almost all in -43, they went in different units.
Listed some books about them, i have the matrikkeli (dont know the english word) that has them all.
So if you want to, PM me his name and i can check, were he went after he came back.


Mauno Jokipii: Panttipataljoona, 1968
Veikko Elo: Pantin lunastajat, 1993
Niilo Lappalainen: Panssarieverstin kuolema (The Death of an armour colonel), 1995
David Littlejohn: Foreign Legions of the Third Reich, vol 4, 1987
Peter Abbot & Nigel Thomas: Germany's Eastern Front Allies 1941–45, 1989
Richard Landwehr: Siegrunen, issues #14, 34 and 43
Kari Kuusela & Olli Wikberg: Wikingin suomalaiset, 1996
Unto Parvilahti: Terekille ja takaisin, 1958
Paul Carell: Marssi Venäjälle, 1964
George H. Stein (suom. 2004) Waffen-SS. Hitlerin eliittikaarti sodassa 1939-1945.


PM send.
So your grandfather was on officer? He might have commanded those Finnish units i listed and was an officer in the SS also.
For info on SS-Division Wiking, SS-Regiment Nordland and
SS Flak Artillerie Abteilung 5 you should find help here.

http://forum.axishistory.com/

Good luck.:up:

[RickC Sniper]

My father was in the Army Air Corps in WWII and served as a crew chief for various aircraft during the war, first in Africa and then in Europe. His rank was a staff seargent.

[moscowexile]

As regards the British army "Deaths Head" unit, the 17th Lancers: when I was living in Germany I got into a bit of trouble because of that unit's badge. Many years before I went to live in Germany, I bought a fine brass belt buckle fashioned after the 17th's regimental badge: it's very impressive. I was wearing it one day in the Fatherland when the cops stopped me. The long and the short of it is that any Nazi regalia or gestures are forbidden in Germany. They wouldn't have it that it was a British army badge until I pointed out to them the "Or Glory" slogan underneath the skull. They still weren't well pleased and told me not to wear it.

As regards my military forebears: my great-granddad volunteered for the army at the outbreak of the First World War in the UK on August 4th 1914. He was a 30-year-old coal miner and joined up, so the tale goes, to spite his overman, with whom he'd had a row over money that same week. My great-grandmother wasn't too pleased about this: she had 7 kids at the time. Anyway, my old great-grandpa was a tough old b*gger and miraculously survived the slaughter in France, where he served as an infantryman in the South Lancashire Regiment. He lived to a grand old age as well: I remember him when I was but a lad in the early 1950s and he was in his eighties.

My grandfather, my above great-grandfather's son-in-law, lied about his age in WWI and volunteered when he was 17 in 1916. He served in the Coldstream Guards in France and also lived to tell the tale, only to die as the result of a mining accident in 1960. He had 13 brothers and sisters. His younger brother born in 1920 volunteered at the outbreak of WWII in 1939 and served in the Irish Guards. He was severly wounded at Anzio, 1944: he almost lost his leg and lost one kidney as a result of a mortar attack and remained a cripple for the rest of his life until his death in 1990.

My father, born 1918, joined the British army in 1938 to escape unemployment. He served throughout WWII as an infantryman in the British 8th Army, seeing action in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He took part in the battle of El Alamein and Monte Cassino. He very rarely spoke to me of his wartime experiences. He became more candid, however, as his death approached in 1970 and told me of the horrors of Cassino. He used to get infuriated when he saw war films on TV, saying to me: "Don't believe it! It's nothing like that! It's not a game!" Of course, this was long before Spielberg's "Private Ryan" Normandy reconstruction.

[Kipparikalle]

I've never greated thread that would get this popular and stickied ;_;

[joegrundman]

My Grandparents on my father's side were German jews who fled Germany to Britain in 1937. My Grandmother's brother had left some time earlier and had got himself a job as an army doctor and this made it easier for my grandparents to come to England.

They had originally thought to move on to the US, but they found Britain very pleasant and so decided to stay.

My Grandmother's brother stayed in the army as a doctor throughout the war, fighting with the 7th Armoured in North Africa and France, and i imagine he was particularly pleased not to have been captured.

My grandfather's younger brother on the otherhand was interned in Buchenwald, but managed to escape and made it to Britain in 1939, days before war was declared. He spent his life as a farmer in a village in the Midlands. His mastery of the local dialect was so great that he was known in the village as "the man with the german wife"

My grandfather himself was a civilian doctor throughout the war and my grandmother was a dentist - i guess the civilians still needed them!

on my mother's side, my grandfather left the Royal Navy (torpedoman on a destoryer) after a decade of service just a few years before the war started. He felt this was a very unfair turn of events.

He was in the Home Guard and bomb disposal units during the war. His most traumatic experience, which we only discovered shortly before he died, was when he was ordered to defuse an unexploded bomb that had landed in the middle of an armaments warehouse in London.

[mcf1]

My father's grandfather fought against Italy in Albania and after Greece was captured by Germany, He and what was left from the Greek army escaped to
Egypt and fought Rommel along side with the English.

My mother is half german and her grandfather was an officer of the luftwaffe.

[GlobalExplorer]

My grandfather was a truck driver in the Wehrmacht who served from 1939 - 1944. He had a close escape in Stalingrad where he was lucky that his tour took him out of the Kessel. He served in several theatres (I don't know very much because he didnt like to talk about it) and survived the war without every being wounded. He was also very lucky to be captured unscathed in France and he therefore returned soon after the war and lived until 1988. I don't have too many memories of him because I was still a child when he lived but he seems to have been not very keen to got to the war and he had very good arguments why the common soldier will always lose in times of war. With other words, he did not like us being fascinated by the war, and I understand why he was against it. I guess he knew that one week on the Ostfront would have healed me from my fascination with WWII. Well fortunately for me I was born into a different time than him.

Other grandfather was wounded in WWI and died before WWII broke out.

[Gezoes]

My Dutch grandfather was slightly in the Dutch resistance, he had a big family. He died when I was 8 (I'm 35). We were like glue though and spent a lot of time together. His brother, and his spitting image, was far more heavily involved, he died last year.

My father was German so there is still something to look for. He was born in 1942 I believe but left my mother when I was six months or so. The urge to look for info is therefore not very heavy. He was a second steerman on the Deutsche-Afrika linien.

All I know about my German grandfather that he was supposedly a cook, and ended up at the East Front. He was supposedly captured and released in 1952.

My mom said my father helped look for coal between the railroadtracks near the end of the war, there seems little evidence for a 'dark' past. I'm not sure though, it seems to me he was a little too young for that at the time :-?

[Hylander_1314]

My Gramps on Dad's side, wasn't eligable for the service due to being deaf in his left ear. But he did work at Packard Motor Company in Detroit as a Plant Guard. I think we call it security these days, but his brother my uncle, was a combat medic who went from North Africa, to VE Day, and participated in 4 major amphibious assaults, and never once received a wound. Pretty lucky for a combat medic.

My Mom's Dad, my other Grampa, who died before I was born, served in a medical battalion, and was on the train to go to the South Pacific when the war ended. His family had emigrated to America from Poland in 1936.

[Thunder]

I knew for a long time that my Grandfather was in the war (my fathers side)and died in the late fifties, although my father never spoke about it(he was seven when the war ended). I never pushed my father for information, with which he was reluctant, but after he died and i came across my grandfathers medals, iron cross second class, i asked my mother if she knew anything.

Turns out he fought at the russian frontwhere he was awarded the medals.His war eneded when he and with his troops were sleeping in an old house. Russian troops burst in and opened fire(where he became wounded).The irony is they were so astounded that he was alive they patched him up! He then spent many years as a pow before returing to Kiel.

As an aside,my dad recently passed away after a long battle with hospital pnumonia(he was taken in for a broken hip), and during the long hospital visits i did get a few insights into the war as seen by a seven year old.

They(my dad and his two brothers) were born in Kiel and he remembers going to the Harbour to see the fuss made of returning u boat hero's.He could not remember any particular one but said they used to announce it when a boat was coming in and people would stram down to the harbour.
I was in Germany a few years back and his brother is still living in the same house(after being rebuilt after firebombing), and it is actually quite close to the Harbour.

When things were becoming unsafe, the children were sent to live with farmers out in the "sticks".he remembered one of his brothers coming in to the house shouting "tommie kompt ,tommie kompt"(my spelling is probably wrong;)), and they rushed outside to the road to see the "bad" man, a downed pilot.
His most vivd recollection was that the guy looked "normal" (propoganda),just like anyone ,which was a shock to a seven year old, and he said the guy (whilst being esccorted by military) still smiled at him.

and finally at the war end my father and his brothers used to hang around the occupying forces, as they often had chocolate and sweets.
On one occasion a long line of surrendered german military vehicals (cars and trucks) had stopped for one reason or another(all being driven by allied troops) and the boys were hanging around, trying to look forlorn, hoping to get sweets.
None were forthcoming ,and being boys one of the brothers started playing in one of the trucks, when it popped into gear.Not knowing what was happening the three scarpered, while the truck rolled foreward into the one in front and that into the next and so on. Apparently there was quite a fuss made.:rotfl:

[Radtgaeb]

My dad's dad was a Medic/X-ray tech in N. Africa/Sicily/Italy during WWII, he caught some shrap pretty bad at Monte Cassino and got a purple heart. My dad's stepdad was a pilot in the USN in the PTO, don't ask me which ship, I don't know.

My Mom's dad was a Marine stationed in Korea, her stepdad was a Marine...stationed in the same place in Korea (oddly enough, they never met).

My uncle, a Scotsman who moved here in the mid-nineties, was a Challenger 1 tank commander in the Gulf War.

[jumpy]

As far as I'm aware, my grandfather on my mother's side (Walter) was a drill instructor. After the war he played the cornet in a swing band (I'm told they even recorded a record) and worked for the council collecting gas meter charges, then he spent almost 25 years working in the hosiary industry and held a position as a trade union leader.
My grandfather on my father's side (Dennis) had something to do with the army pay corps somewhere in the far east. When he returned home he became the manager of Natwest Bank in london somewhere and at some point became a freemason.

Neither of them really said much about the war and at the time I was too young to ask, now all my grandparents are gone. Apart from brief glimpses into the past, revealing that Walter was a bit of a wild man along with his band mates when playing gigs 5 or 6 nights every week, and Dennis had amoebic dysentery and malaria when he returned to the UK. I know very little about them as people in that respect.

I keep asking my mum (who still knows who all of those faces are in our old photo collections) to put all of these people into a coherent collection with names and family relationships, because when she is gone there will be no-one who knows who they are anymore. I guess she'll get around to it eventually. :roll:

[gimpy117]

Both my grandpas served in the U.S Navy
To the best of my knowledge one grandpa was a radio instructor in the navy...
the other served on a sub tender(?) for a while and finally took part in the sailing of a captured japanese boat back to the states

i am told the thing was tiny, cramped, the radio was the worst ever seen, and everyone was afraid to even dive to periscope depth.

telling him about my exploits in SH4 set off a good reminising session, that, was very enjoyable...

[vedrand]

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7208/tosovipu9.jpghttp://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6382/toso2vifz6.jpg



My grandfather joined the Yugoslav partisans in 1941, after the German attack on what used to be the Kingdom of Yugoslavia back then. He essentially 'disappeared' maintaining no contact with his family whatsoever, fearing retribution against them, only to unexpectedly show up in 1945 in the rank of a major of the Yugoslav partisan army.

He was sent to Moscow after the war where he stayed until 1948, leaving behind a pregnant Russian girl who then turned out to be my grandmother :smug:. Few more twists followed until everything developed as it did... but that is the grandfather's story in short :yep:

In the second photo, he (on the right hand side) is having a drink with his (unknown) buddy. Btw both photos are post-war.

He hardly ever spoke about the war so I have no stories to tell about that. We used to have a Walther PPK he brought from the war, but that unique piece got lost in the recent war in the Balkans :damn: He died in 1988.


P.S. and now the happy end. On the following picture you can see the abovementioned Russian grandmother (and my mum on the right :cool:) being a translator for the Soviet marshal Timoshenko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semyon_Timoshenko) during his visit to Sarajevo.. That was in 1966. :o



http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/268/timosenkousarajevu1966dn1.jpg
(http://forum.axishistory.com/download/file.php?id=127600)

[Kipparikalle]

Funny how fast years pass.

I think this thread deserves one last bump, for the sake of the good times I had here.
Two years ago, my grandfather was called into service for one last time. And being a good soldier he is, he took up the call, and went for his last tour of duty, into the theatres of heaven.

And about year ago, my grandmother from father's side (lived during continuation war), went for her final sleep about a year ago. It feels odd to know that my entire family is now devoid of any wartime survivors.


So any of you folks out there with still living grandfathers probably know what I am going to say now, but heck it if I don't spill it out; They have watched, and shaped this world what it is now. Spent time with them as much as possible, play card with them, help with their home stuff, anything.

Because you don't want to wake up one day regretting how little you ever talked to them

[Bubblehead1980]

Paternal great-grandfather was an infantry officer.After graduating college just a few months after Pearl Harbor in 1942. he joined the Army and was eventually commissioned before being sent to England.Like so many others, he went ashore on D-Day at Normandy(believe it was Omaha Beach) Never has talked about it too much but heard a few stories over the years.Fortunately, he is still alive and in his 90's but like so many, he is fading.

Maternal great grandfather was in the Coast Guard and spent his war in California.Unfortunately, I never knew him as he passed away in the late 70's and I was not born yet.

[krashkart]

I have an uncle who flew a light observation helo in Vietnam, and that's about it for war veterans in my family. I did learn over the weekend, however, that my great-grandmother's brother was in a concentration camp -- which is certainly something I'll be investigating.

[CaptainMattJ.]

To the best of my knowledge, my grandfather both flew and served as a flight engineer (first engy, then pilot) aboard C-47 Across Africa and Europe.

Very, very, very fortunate for me AND my dad, he was able to dodge reassignment to the 8th, although i have no idea what unit he served in.

After WW2, one uncle was a pilot in the air national gaurd during vietnam., and today is flying UAVs in Arizona's desert. My other uncle, who is 61 now, was a grunt in vietnam. Before my grandfather, my great grandfather served in the Great White fleet. Thats about as much as i know unfortunately.

[eddie]

My Grandfather served in the US Army in WW1. Don't recall the division he served in, but he was assigned to a artillery unit. His unit was on the receiving end of a mustard gas attack which ended his days in combat. He survived the war, and passed away in 1956,

My Father was in the 4th Marine Division during WW2. After the attack at Pearl Harbor, he wanted to enlist in the Marines, but couldn't, he was just 17, still in High School. He talked my Grandmother into signng the papers to allow him to enlist. He was a B.A.R men. Was invovled with 3 landings,first was at Roi-Namur, then Saipan, during the landings on Tinian, he was wounded by a Japanese machine gun. Spent the rest of the war recovering statside.

I look after him now, he's 88 years old. Gets around pretty good yet. Would rather have him spend his golden years with us, then live in a retirement home.

[Falkirion]

My maternal great grandpa was a POW during WW2. I believe he was driving trucks for the AIF during the Fall of Singapore. Was a POW till the end of the war, during his captivity he was forced to work on the Burma railway. I never got the chance to meet him unfortunately. He died before I was born.

[HunterICX]

My Grandfather wanted to join cross the Channel and join the RAF but his father needed help to keep the shop running as hiswife recently passed away while giving birth. He loved airplanes and something he has regretted till the end of his live that he never picked up flying an aircraft.

So instead he joined the group that went out to search & rescue after bombing raids and living near the German Military Airport of Gilze-Rijen (Netherlands) you could imagine there where more then enough raids.
When it was apparent that the War was over for the Germans he sabotaged some fuel lines of German trucks and nearly got put against the wall for that.

but unfortunately he died before I was born, would've loved to have talked to him.

HunterICX

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

My maternal grandfather served as tank crewman but I don't know anything else about him. He died in "accident" in 1975 (police suspected homicide because of strange circumstances around his death, they were unable to find suspect nor any clear evidence to back suspicion). His brother served as fighter pilot during war. He continued in Air Force after war and retired as Colonel.

His wife's two brothers served as pilots (no details from either except that another one was Major during war) third brother was radioman/gunner in Bristol Blenheim Mk. I bomber shot down over Gulf of Finland during war. All onboard were killed and only his body was recovered, it washed up into shore in northern coast of Estonia. He was buried there by Wehrmacht.

My paternal grandfather was army engineer during early parts of Continuation War and later as sissi (Finnish light infantry) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissi_%28Finnish_light_infantry%29) during Continuation War and in Lapland War. He is only one to who I have been able to talk about war experiences although he didn't talk anything about them until early 2000s.

[sharkbit]

Nice necro of a thread. Don't think I ever saw this one.

Only knew one of my grandfathers and I don't think he served in the military. I think he worked in the coal mines of Virginia his whole life.

My dad was a waist gunner on a B-17 with the 94th Bomb Group out of Bury St. Edmunds, England. Unfortuneately, he passed away when I was 7 and before I really took an interest in WWII. I know he was wounded in the back by flak. I remember him showing me the scar. My mom has his Purple Heart and the silk American flag with Russian words on the back. I think he flew some shuttle missions to Russia an/or was on missions near Russian lines. The flag has a shrapnel hole in it.

My step dad was a B-17 mechanic in England (can't remember the bomb group).

I had a couple of uncles that served in WWII as well.

:)

[Osmium Steele]

My paternal grandad was in his late 20's with 3 young kids at home, so he stayed in the steel mill.

My maternal grandad was also in his late 20's and an engineer at Lockheed. He stayed there as well.

My father missed Korea by a few years, but made up for it doing 2 tours in Vietnam, as a DoD employee, in '69 and '71.

The closest I came to anything like that while in service was defending the women in Ft. Lauderdale during Desert Storm. :yeah:

My brother, however had his boots on the ground in both Iraq wars and everything in between except Somalia. He even rode the first trucks into Bosnia with the UN mission.

[Dan D]

My paternal grandfather is buried in the region of Vladimirovka in Moldova, between Romania and the Ukraine that is.
My father was 6 weeks old when my grandmother received message that her husband was KIA. She then wrote a letter to my grandfather’s military unit because she wanted to know whether her last letter had reached him before his death, where she told him about the birth of my father.
A comrade “Fritz” wrote back that if my grandfather “Franz” had knowledge about the birth of his son, he had not told it to anybody.
“Fritz” then told her what he knew about what had happened to “Franz”:
At 6 am, April 5th 1944 the Soviet Army launched a massive tank attack. The Germans could not hold the line and so the order was given to pull-out fast. My grandfather was part of the medical service and so he had to stay back to get the evacuation of the wounded from a field hospital done or to go into captivity with them. He did not show up at the new line of defence and so he was declared MIA.
About 2 weeks later the Germans launched a counter-attack and were able to retake the old positions for a while. Search deployments then found my grandfather’s body lying by a house, where he had been looking for cover when a tank shell killed him, so it seemed.
He was then buried on a provisional military cemetery in Agronomovka, today: Agronomul.

Part of the letter was a very precise drawing which gave valuable information that helped me to locate the about position of the cemetery on a modern road map of Moldova. I then contacted the German war graves commission to find out, whether the cemetery is already known to them.
They have now written back that they are already in negotiations with the owner of the land where the cemetery once was. If they get his permission for digging, which in many cases, I was told, is basically a matter of paying compensation for the loss of crops, the remains, probably some old pairs of leather boots and some uniform buttons, if they find something, would then be moved to the Central German military cemetery in Moldova in Chisinau.
I also had email contact with a guy who is searching for his father's grave in Moldova for 35 years now and so far he has exhumed the remains of 600 German soldiers but none of them was his father. He keeps on digging.

It is just an idea so far, but my father and I will probably fly to Chisinau and from there we would take a car to explore the area for one or two days.

Oh, did I write this?
It is the other way round. Place was called "Agronomul" when occupied by the Romanians and called "Agronomovka" after occupation by the Soviet Army.
Here is the full research:http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=153050&highlight=moldavia

That was a hell of a trip.

This year my father and I will travel to Moldavia one more time to visit the final resting place to work on my fathers' war trauma. Grandmother died in February this year.

[AngusJS]

One of my grandfathers originally trained to be a B-17 pilot in the US Army Air Force, but was busted down to tail gunner due to some training camp hijinks.

In 1944 He flew combat missions from England for all of 2 weeks before being shot down by flak over Germany. All his crew bailed out successfully. He ended up in Stalag Luft III, where the Great Escape occurred. He waited out the rest of the war as a POW.

He said that he fired his gun only once (and that was into the English Channel), because you had to clean it if you fired it. He also said that one time a Messerschmitt flew up right behind his plane, but he didn't open fire because "I wasn't going to shoot at him if he wasn't going to shoot at me."

My other grandfather was a JAG officer in the Navy. He remained stateside during the war, but IIRC was transferred to Italy after hostilities ceased.

[Eisenwurst]

My paternal Great Grandad was a conscript in the Tsarist army. My Dad's dad and his wife both "disappeared" during Stalin's purges. My Dad was rounded up and sent to Germany as a "guestworker" when the Germans occupied the Ukraine. Towards the end of the war he was conscripted into the German army and sent as part of occupation force to Denmark.

First chance he got he ran away, buried his uniform and gun, and was sheltered by a farmer who was grateful for the extra help around the farm.
My dad was just a teenager, he said he didn't want to shoot anyone.

My dad died a few years ago after a sad slow decline, and didn't talk much about the war. But did remember the retreating Russian army as it passed through his village during early Barbarossa. A lot of badly wounded guys, confused and frightened.

There's good and bad guys on both sides in every war, and as Gen. Sherman said "War is hell".

Thank God for Gorbachov and Yeltsin and the end of the Coldwar.