WW2 PoW stuff:

[Eichhörnchen]

^ Thanks - I'll check it out

[Armistead]

I picked an old abandoned house and found basically everything of the two sons that served in the army during WW2. One was captured and a German POW and sent many letters from prison. He actually lived in the family home to work the farm until the day he died in the 80s. Found a mass of letters, his foot locker, some German Nazi stuff I guess he brought back home, his uniforms, a mass of all his war stuff. Here is a letter his brother wrote to mom when they found out he went missing. It was a few months before they found out he was alive and POW.

Dearest Mother - Nov.21, 1944
I will try to write you a few lines tonight as I am thinking of you and wondering how you are by now. I know everyone at home is sick about Tom though I thought maybe I could get to come home, but the Red Cross let me know this afternoon that I cannot get a emergency furlough.
Seems like I might as well forget that I was ever human, as long as I have to stay in the army a fellow isn't considered as human anyway. Maybe this rotten mess will end some day though.
I received your letter yesterday but was on guard last nite and didn't get to do any writing? When was the last letter you had from Tom written. I still have hopes that we will hear he is alive.
I have to attend school most every day but I just cannot seem to get my mind on the class. Guess I won't get very much out of going but I sometime wonder what's the use anyway.
How is Helen by this time?
Do you know if aunt Lillie still hears from all the boys right often these days?
Tell the rest I'll write to them as soon as I can.
I don't know of anything I want you to get for me "Mom" but thanks a million anyway.
Try to take care of yourself Mom and write when you can.
Love to all
Herbert.

[August]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I picked an old abandoned house and found basically everything of the two sons that served in the army during WW2. One was captured and a German POW and sent many letters from prison. He actually lived in the family home to work the farm until the day he died in the 80s. Found a mass of letters, his foot locker, some German Nazi stuff I guess he brought back home, his uniforms, a mass of all his war stuff. Here is a letter his brother wrote to mom when they found out he went missing. It was a few months before they found out he was alive and POW.

Dearest Mother - Nov.21, 1944
I will try to write you a few lines tonight as I am thinking of you and wondering how you are by now. I know everyone at home is sick about Tom though I thought maybe I could get to come home, but the Red Cross let me know this afternoon that I cannot get a emergency furlough.
Seems like I might as well forget that I was ever human, as long as I have to stay in the army a fellow isn't considered as human anyway. Maybe this rotten mess will end some day though.
I received your letter yesterday but was on guard last nite and didn't get to do any writing? When was the last letter you had from Tom written. I still have hopes that we will hear he is alive.
I have to attend school most every day but I just cannot seem to get my mind on the class. Guess I won't get very much out of going but I sometime wonder what's the use anyway.
How is Helen by this time?
Do you know if aunt Lillie still hears from all the boys right often these days?
Tell the rest I'll write to them as soon as I can.
I don't know of anything I want you to get for me "Mom" but thanks a million anyway.
Try to take care of yourself Mom and write when you can.
Love to all
Herbert.

What do you intend to do with all that stuff?

[Eichhörnchen]

Moira came home with this today - she planned to give it me for Christmas but then had second thoughts. Didn't want me choking on my turkey I guess

ISBN 978 1 52670 187 9

Author: Philip D Chinnery

Publisher: Pen & Sword (Military)

[August]

Cool. That reminds me to mention that I just finished this:

[mapuc]

Eichhörnchen Post about this book his wife gave him made me remember a book I once borrowed on our local library, many many years ago.

I was looking for something interesting to read. I couldn't decide if it has to be history and what kind history(Mostly I borrowed books about military or religious history) or science.

While walking around at the library I saw this book-With the title(From memory)

How life was lived during 30's Germany/Living under/in Hitler's Germany

I borrowed it and it was the best book I had read in a decade.

It was about how ordinary German lived during the 30's and beginning of the 40's Hitler's Germany.

A scene from the book-
Place somewhere outside Cologne
A shop is being demolished by people and some member of Hitler Jugend/Young SS. Police arrive to..no not to stop them from harassing the shop owner, no they came to hold back other citizens.

If I only knew(remember) the exact title.

Edit
I remember more from this book. Following showed how the Nazi's looked at handicapped people.
One one of the pages there was a black and white illustration of a man without a leg sitting in a wheelchair with following text below.
Again from memory
should this man be allowed to burden our community.
End edit

Markus

[Eichhörnchen]

Thanks for that, August I must have that too

[Eichhörnchen]

Originally Posted by mapuc

How life was lived during 30's Germany/Living under/in Hitler's Germany... If I only knew(remember) the exact title.

Markus

Those events came to be known as "Kristallnacht", when Jewish shops and business premises were attacked and burned

You've reminded me again about a book I saw in a shop which traced the story of a Jewish family right through the rise of the Nazis to their ultimate end in the camps

It was a huge book and quite a lot of money even though second-hand, so I left it. I really still often wish I'd bought that book as I cannot remember the name of it either

[blackswan40]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

I'm a real sucker for anything PoW: really enjoy pc games Prisoner of War and The Great Escape, all the films plus no end of books. Does anyone remember Hogan's Heroes? (I know they're out on DVD but not sure whether in UK-playable format).

In which film was a character heard to say "Why don't we take our time and get the lot?"

Could the film in question be devils brigade when the Americans are in the same bar as the Canucs and its abbout to kick off then the lumberjacks crash the bar.

[August]

Originally Posted by blackswan40

Could the film in question be devils brigade when the Americans are in the same bar as the Canucs and its abbout to kick off then the lumberjacks crash the bar.

I think you might have the right movie but the wrong scene. Wasn't that line said just before they captured the whole town of German troops from the general on down to the cooks?

[Eichhörnchen]

Nope - Leo Genn said this to Anthony Steele in the British PoW movie "The Wooden Horse"

[Eichhörnchen]

RIP Robert Clary

[Aktungbby]

he looks better in his beret than either of us!

[August]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

he looks better in his beret than either of us!

He wore his beret like a Frenchman.

[Eichhörnchen]

We know that half of what you see in a war movie is often a condensing of or even a massaging of the truth - here are a few titbits about The Great Escape (it seems it wasn't the ony one)

https://www.historyextra.com/period/...-great-escape/