Least We Forget - ANZAC Day

[Karl-Heinz Jaeger]

Stopping by to pay my respects to our ANZAC brethren down under.

[JScones]

Me=2RNSWR, AABC and AIRTC Officer of Cadets. Received Australia Day Medal in 1999 for service to the Aust Government.
Dad=21 years in RAInf (tours to Vietnam, Malaya, and Darwin Cyclone recovery, opened door for the Queen when she visited QLD in 1970). Received Australia Day Medal in 1987 for service to the Aust Government (not too many Father/sons do that!).
Great Uncle=20Bn AIF - died at Villers-Bretonneux July 1918. A true ANZAC.
Great, Great Grandfather=81st Regiment of Foot (North America, Bermuda and Gibraltar) and New Zealand Fencible.
Great, Great, Great Grandfather=52nd Regiment of Foot (yes, Battle of Waterloo - he was a Bugler) and New Zealand Fencible.

Not bragging, just mighty proud.

Originally Posted by Beery

So what's the SH3 connection? :hmm:

Lets see, ANZAC Day is a day of Rememberance for all those who served and payed the ultimate sacrifice (came into being after Gallipoli, but now encumbence's all who served in all wars and inbetween, and are still serving today) in WWI and through the ages, including WWII.

Silent Hunter III is a WWII sub game that for some is a way to "be there" and indoing so pay respects (after a fashion) to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Now I wonder where the connection is !

[Boris]

Originally Posted by JScones

Not bragging, just mighty proud.

me... not so proud

Spent three years as an officer cadet at ADFA studying a Bachelor of Arts, before graduating and going on to the Royal Military College.
Half-way through my time as a staff cadet at Duntroon, I finally had it with the Army, cracked and was surprised to be finally kicked out for trying to go AWOL.

My Great Grandfather served the Kaiser...

My Grandfather on my mothers side was mislead by the Fuehrer, along with millions of others. He got captured in Leningrad, and was released in 1948

Grandfather on my fathers side... also served the Wehrmacht, but only after escaping a year in Stalin's army. He was lucky enough to be captured by the Ami's at the end of the war.

Just realised although I'm an Aussie I have very little connection to ANZAC day.

Borris.

I cant speak for the other's, only myself. To me it doesn't matter that you succeeded, but that you tried. The life of a soldier is not for all, but at least you stood up and had a go.

To me that alone speaks volumes about your character, in that you had the forthought to try to do service for you country.

The same can be said of your relitives regardless of what side they were on. There is no disrespect in 1 serving 1's own country, no matter the time frame nor the politics. A person can only try to do the best that they can and do it with honor.

I can salute my enemy for his Valour, Courage, Duty and Honor from 1 soldier to another. To do so brings no shame.

on what day do the axis soldiers get an honorary remembrance?
On what day do people have a quiet minute for the thousands of germans, and others who fought in ww2? On what day do we remember all the men who were cowardly hung after the war only because they were on the loosing team?

Dont get me wrong, im not putting down the brave allied soldiers, but i think its a shame that people think of all axis soldiers as "nazis". They were every day men, who fought for their country, just like kiwis, ozzies who fought for what they thought was right. There is no right and wrong, people choose their own truths. But one truth remains, men on both sides died in an awful war, but only one side gets honoured.

In fact you are wrong there my friend, on ANZAC Day we not only remember our fallen comrades but we also remember ALL who fought and died. It has been a tradition now for some time that a Dawn Service is held at Galliopli Bay with the Turks in attedance. Its a very moving service in rememberance for ALL those that fell.

Today still we not only have those who sered in the ADF but from may counties that march and attend the midday service.

[JScones]

I once had the pleasure of meeting two ex-Luftwaffe pilots after an ANZAC Day parade in Sydney (some of our Unit went to play two-up at a local pub and they happened to be there). Couldn't quite understand them, but my word they had our full attention and utmost respect.

[joea]

Originally Posted by Swede

on what day do the axis soldiers get an honorary remembrance?
On what day do people have a quiet minute for the thousands of germans, and others who fought in ww2? On what day do we remember all the men who were cowardly hung after the war only because they were on the loosing team?

Dont get me wrong, im not putting down the brave allied soldiers, but i think its a shame that people think of all axis soldiers as "nazis". They were every day men, who fought for their country, just like kiwis, ozzies who fought for what they thought was right. There is no right and wrong, people choose their own truths. But one truth remains, men on both sides died in an awful war, but only one side gets honoured.

Excellent post Swede, except for the parts I put in bold. What soldiers were hung just becasue they lost? If you mean Himmler et al. well sory they don't deserve rememberance, also for the fact they led their own countrymen to death. Allied armies did punish (including execution) some of their own soldiers for crimes (looting murder etc.) Some fo the big criminals on the Allied side got away of course.

Your point about recalling ordinary soldiers on both sides is correct, and as Cmdr Gibbs said for example Turks and ANZACS celebrating together.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Cdre Gibs

Borris.

I cant speak for the other's, only myself. To me it doesn't matter that you succeeded, but that you tried. The life of a soldier is not for all, but at least you stood up and had a go.

To me that alone speaks volumes about your character, in that you had the forthought to try to do service for you country.

The same can be said of your relitives regardless of what side they were on. There is no disrespect in 1 serving 1's own country, no matter the time frame nor the politics. A person can only try to do the best that they can and do it with honor.

I can salute my enemy for his Valour, Courage, Duty and Honor from 1 soldier to another. To do so brings no shame.

Thanks for you kind words.

This is a far cry from the parting words of my commandant who (paraphrasing) said that I should be ashamed that I have only taken from my country and given little in return, and that one day I should consider repaying my debt to this country.

I attempted to break my service obligation five years before it should have ended, when I realised that a career as an officer in the army no longer interested me and that therfore i could not be an asset to the army.
I wanted to leave for a whole number of reasons, needless to say my whole outlook on life had changed a lot from the straight out of school guy that i was when I joined.

I planned to try everything to get out, without having to pay the exorbitant amount of money that the government wanted for the early severance of my service.
In the end an opportunity presented itself when my mid-year leave was denied. I had planned on (already booked) taking a trip to Europe with some of my Army mates and to see my family.
I decided to try and go anyway, since at this stage I was no longer in training and had little to lose. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), somehow the staff got wind of my intentions, and the night before my trip I recieved a direct order not to leave the base and to parade at 0730.

By that time the next morning I was at Sydney Airport, having taken a bus overnight from canberra. When my friends arrived 9ish, by plane, they confirmed my hunch that the MPs were at Canberra Airport looking for me.
We checked in our luggage, got through customs and onto the plane. Most passengers were seated and the crew was ready to close the doors, when I heard my name spoken. I looked up to see a badge in my face, accompanied by the words "Australin federal police, come with me please sir"
And that was that... the MPs flew me back to Canberra, where an angry Colonel tore me a new one and told me I would be kicked out.

It's all a good laugh in retrospect now, and a bit of an adventure at that.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by joea

Excellent post Swede, except for the parts I put in bold. What soldiers were hung just becasue they lost? If you mean Himmler et al. well sory they don't deserve rememberance, also for the fact they led their own countrymen to death. Allied armies did punish (including execution) some of their own soldiers for crimes (looting murder etc.) Some fo the big criminals on the Allied side got away of course.

Your point about recalling ordinary soldiers on both sides is correct, and as Cmdr Gibbs said for example Turks and ANZACS celebrating together.

Agreed.

The fact is that war is **** <Edit: That's not how I phrased it, lol> (probably an understatement), and soldiers should not be remebered for shooting at the enemy, but for the hardships they were forced to endure.
On exercises, whilst in th Army I often heard people complain. I just thought to myself... What would it be like if it were ten times worse and six years long.[/b]

[tbarak]

Gibs you may want to edit your original post, look closely at the first line, the last word should be replaced with "grow".

I live in Canada and our culture's appreciation for Canada's war effort is shoddy and embarrassing. When I visited Europe working on a documentary about a Canadian war hero, everyone in the French village (where the crew was hidden by the Resistance) knew the story about Mynarksi and the Lancaster crew. All the war memorials dotting the fields along the roads were amazing while here in Canada most people are clueless about it.

But the tragedy is that the world has not learned that Wars do not solve anything. Bush is willing to kill his own young men for oil and money, just the same way the past leaders did to their own, for glory, territory and the other spoils of war. I agree the common German soldier had no grandiose visions of world domination. They paid in blood for the arrogance of their elitist leaders. Seems things never change. There doesn't seem to be enough senseless deaths in the world to wake people up.

Originally Posted by tbarak

Gibs you may want to edit your original post, look closely at the first line, the last word should be replaced with "grow".

The Poem is word for word as quoted by the Australian War Memorial.

http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/...ems.htm#fallen

if they have it incorrect, somebody had better tell them (just not me)!

[bookworm_020]

Just to note, former Axis personal also march with the rest on ANZAC Day. I saw them go by in the march in Sydney.

[tbarak]

Oops, my mistake, it is actually "blow". I chalked it up to a typo as I though "grow" made more sense. Apologies mate, you were right. I will banish myself to a double watch on the bridge during a storm.

Lest we forget.