Family Ties to World War II: A New Poll

Heinzi · January 12, 2004

My grandfather was at a recon section of the lufwaffe. He made some flights but stayed mostly in office. He fought only once (45) against russians. He survived a mortar explosion with one scratch (he kept the metal piece from the mortar), all others were killed in his foxhole.

The grandfather of a friend was in the Waffen-SS as a 88 Gunner. He fought in Russia, saw the "Dora" shooting. Then he fought in the allied Op "Market Garden" against the Allied. Always at silvester, he lock himself in his room, because he cant take the noise of the exploding rockets and "böllers". (dont know the english word for it )

My family comes from Eastern Prussia. They had a hotel there. I was a beautiful landscape. But after the war they fled to Koblenz. Today the area, where the hotel was, is very poor.

Heinzi · January 12, 2004

My grandfather was at a recon section of the lufwaffe. He made some flights but stayed mostly in office. He fought only once (45) against russians. He survived a mortar explosion with one scratch (he kept the metal piece from the mortar), all others were killed in his foxhole.

The grandfather of a friend was in the Waffen-SS as a 88 Gunner. He fought in Russia, saw the "Dora" shooting. Then he fought in the allied Op "Market Garden" against the Allied. Always at silvester, he lock himself in his room, because he cant take the noise of the exploding rockets and "böllers". (dont know the english word for it )

My family comes from Eastern Prussia. They had a hotel there. I was a beautiful landscape. But after the war they fled to Koblenz. Today the area, where the hotel was, is very poor.

Heinzi · January 12, 2004

My grandfather was at a recon section of the lufwaffe. He made some flights but stayed mostly in office. He fought only once (45) against russians. He survived a mortar explosion with one scratch (he kept the metal piece from the mortar), all others were killed in his foxhole.

The grandfather of a friend was in the Waffen-SS as a 88 Gunner. He fought in Russia, saw the "Dora" shooting. Then he fought in the allied Op "Market Garden" against the Allied. Always at silvester, he lock himself in his room, because he cant take the noise of the exploding rockets and "böllers". (dont know the english word for it )

My family comes from Eastern Prussia. They had a hotel there. I was a beautiful landscape. But after the war they fled to Koblenz. Today the area, where the hotel was, is very poor.

AlmightyTH · January 12, 2004

one

[ July 12, 2007, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: AlmightyTH ]

AlmightyTH · January 12, 2004

one

[ July 12, 2007, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: AlmightyTH ]

AlmightyTH · January 12, 2004

one

[ July 12, 2007, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: AlmightyTH ]

Kanonier Reichmann · January 12, 2004

My father was a pilot in the RAAF flying Mosquito night fighters in 456 squadron from late 1942 until the end of the war. They were based initially at Valley then Middle Wallop and later at Ford and Church Fenton in the U.K.

He and his navigator were credited with damaging a Dornier 217 over Sussex but were unable to finish the job when friendly searchlights locked onto his plane by mistake rather than the German and was forced to undertake immediate radical manoeuvres to avoid being targeted by friendly fire. Later in the war his squadron engaged in intruder patrols over Munich's airfelds when they were based in France. An unidentified aircraft on the ground was claimed as damaged in a sortie over Schleissheim.

Regards

Jim R.

Kanonier Reichmann · January 12, 2004

My father was a pilot in the RAAF flying Mosquito night fighters in 456 squadron from late 1942 until the end of the war. They were based initially at Valley then Middle Wallop and later at Ford and Church Fenton in the U.K.

He and his navigator were credited with damaging a Dornier 217 over Sussex but were unable to finish the job when friendly searchlights locked onto his plane by mistake rather than the German and was forced to undertake immediate radical manoeuvres to avoid being targeted by friendly fire. Later in the war his squadron engaged in intruder patrols over Munich's airfelds when they were based in France. An unidentified aircraft on the ground was claimed as damaged in a sortie over Schleissheim.

Regards

Jim R.

Kanonier Reichmann · January 12, 2004

My father was a pilot in the RAAF flying Mosquito night fighters in 456 squadron from late 1942 until the end of the war. They were based initially at Valley then Middle Wallop and later at Ford and Church Fenton in the U.K.

He and his navigator were credited with damaging a Dornier 217 over Sussex but were unable to finish the job when friendly searchlights locked onto his plane by mistake rather than the German and was forced to undertake immediate radical manoeuvres to avoid being targeted by friendly fire. Later in the war his squadron engaged in intruder patrols over Munich's airfelds when they were based in France. An unidentified aircraft on the ground was claimed as damaged in a sortie over Schleissheim.

Regards

Jim R.

Splinty · January 12, 2004

My father served in the Eighth army in all three CMAK theaters of operation as an FO with 3/4? artillery. He spent most of the Italian campaign calling in American 155's from U.S. 1st Armored for some reason.

Splinty · January 12, 2004

My father served in the Eighth army in all three CMAK theaters of operation as an FO with 3/4? artillery. He spent most of the Italian campaign calling in American 155's from U.S. 1st Armored for some reason.

Splinty · January 12, 2004

My father served in the Eighth army in all three CMAK theaters of operation as an FO with 3/4? artillery. He spent most of the Italian campaign calling in American 155's from U.S. 1st Armored for some reason.

Alfatwosix · January 12, 2004

My maternal Grandfather (my Godfather) was an NCO in the Belgian army before the war. He was with the field telephone service and told stories about laying telephone cables under German bombardments. He also told the story of how a Belgian infantry officer made him in charge of the defense of a bridge with a small AT-gun and then that officer ran off himself.

He got captured at the end of the 18-day campaign and taken to POW camp. He got quite disgusted about the difference in treatment of the officers and NCOs with the enlisted men and chose to stay with his guys.

He got released in '42 and joined the resistance (White Brigades). He got arrested in September '44, one day before Mechelen (our town) got liberated. My Mother still remembers the 11 men of the "FeldGendarmerie" who came to arrest her dad. (The guy who had betrayed him to the Germans got suffocated in manure in the days after the liberation by my grandfather's friends).

He ended up on the east front where they were forced by the Germans to dig trenches. He and another Belgian friend managed to escape the Germans and get to the Russian lines. Because they spoke Flemish, this first group of Russian soldiers thought they were German deserters and wanted to execute them. In the confusion of a German Stuka attack, they managed to get away once again.... They ended up with a Polish family hiding in the basement of a farm for a few days as the battle raged on above their heads. When finally the front had passed, the Polish family convinced the Russians that my Grandfather and his friend were allies and not Germans. His stories of the return home were great and involved all modes of transport (including a ride by a locomotive his friend drove through a stretch of Czechoslovakia) he finally got home in '46 and it is one of my mothers most vivid childhood memories that neighbors came to tell them her father had arrived in the street and seeing him walk that last bit home....

He kept a diary of the second time in captivity and it makes great reading. Maybe some day I should look into publishing it...

Of the first time in captivity he kept a certain dislike for officers, but still he was very proud when I became an officer in '88

He lived on to be 86, despite all he had been through.

My great-grandparents on father’s side died in a British bombing raid on our town and my grandmother never forgave the British for that.

On father's side I also have two Great uncles who fought in WWI and I have pictures of them in German POW camp. One of them was gassed and eventually died in '43 of lung cancer.

I think this is a great thread and we should do this more often

Alfatwosix · January 12, 2004

My maternal Grandfather (my Godfather) was an NCO in the Belgian army before the war. He was with the field telephone service and told stories about laying telephone cables under German bombardments. He also told the story of how a Belgian infantry officer made him in charge of the defense of a bridge with a small AT-gun and then that officer ran off himself.

He got captured at the end of the 18-day campaign and taken to POW camp. He got quite disgusted about the difference in treatment of the officers and NCOs with the enlisted men and chose to stay with his guys.

He got released in '42 and joined the resistance (White Brigades). He got arrested in September '44, one day before Mechelen (our town) got liberated. My Mother still remembers the 11 men of the "FeldGendarmerie" who came to arrest her dad. (The guy who had betrayed him to the Germans got suffocated in manure in the days after the liberation by my grandfather's friends).

He ended up on the east front where they were forced by the Germans to dig trenches. He and another Belgian friend managed to escape the Germans and get to the Russian lines. Because they spoke Flemish, this first group of Russian soldiers thought they were German deserters and wanted to execute them. In the confusion of a German Stuka attack, they managed to get away once again.... They ended up with a Polish family hiding in the basement of a farm for a few days as the battle raged on above their heads. When finally the front had passed, the Polish family convinced the Russians that my Grandfather and his friend were allies and not Germans. His stories of the return home were great and involved all modes of transport (including a ride by a locomotive his friend drove through a stretch of Czechoslovakia) he finally got home in '46 and it is one of my mothers most vivid childhood memories that neighbors came to tell them her father had arrived in the street and seeing him walk that last bit home....

He kept a diary of the second time in captivity and it makes great reading. Maybe some day I should look into publishing it...

Of the first time in captivity he kept a certain dislike for officers, but still he was very proud when I became an officer in '88

He lived on to be 86, despite all he had been through.

My great-grandparents on father’s side died in a British bombing raid on our town and my grandmother never forgave the British for that.

On father's side I also have two Great uncles who fought in WWI and I have pictures of them in German POW camp. One of them was gassed and eventually died in '43 of lung cancer.

I think this is a great thread and we should do this more often

Alfatwosix · January 12, 2004

My maternal Grandfather (my Godfather) was an NCO in the Belgian army before the war. He was with the field telephone service and told stories about laying telephone cables under German bombardments. He also told the story of how a Belgian infantry officer made him in charge of the defense of a bridge with a small AT-gun and then that officer ran off himself.

He got captured at the end of the 18-day campaign and taken to POW camp. He got quite disgusted about the difference in treatment of the officers and NCOs with the enlisted men and chose to stay with his guys.

He got released in '42 and joined the resistance (White Brigades). He got arrested in September '44, one day before Mechelen (our town) got liberated. My Mother still remembers the 11 men of the "FeldGendarmerie" who came to arrest her dad. (The guy who had betrayed him to the Germans got suffocated in manure in the days after the liberation by my grandfather's friends).

He ended up on the east front where they were forced by the Germans to dig trenches. He and another Belgian friend managed to escape the Germans and get to the Russian lines. Because they spoke Flemish, this first group of Russian soldiers thought they were German deserters and wanted to execute them. In the confusion of a German Stuka attack, they managed to get away once again.... They ended up with a Polish family hiding in the basement of a farm for a few days as the battle raged on above their heads. When finally the front had passed, the Polish family convinced the Russians that my Grandfather and his friend were allies and not Germans. His stories of the return home were great and involved all modes of transport (including a ride by a locomotive his friend drove through a stretch of Czechoslovakia) he finally got home in '46 and it is one of my mothers most vivid childhood memories that neighbors came to tell them her father had arrived in the street and seeing him walk that last bit home....

He kept a diary of the second time in captivity and it makes great reading. Maybe some day I should look into publishing it...

Of the first time in captivity he kept a certain dislike for officers, but still he was very proud when I became an officer in '88

He lived on to be 86, despite all he had been through.

My great-grandparents on father’s side died in a British bombing raid on our town and my grandmother never forgave the British for that.

On father's side I also have two Great uncles who fought in WWI and I have pictures of them in German POW camp. One of them was gassed and eventually died in '43 of lung cancer.

I think this is a great thread and we should do this more often

gunnergoz · January 13, 2004

This thread is a treasure! Very moving.

My mother, then a teenager, survived American and British bombing of her Italian home town, Ancona, but she did get shrapnel wounds from it and when she died some 14 years ago, she still had the shrapnel in her feet and ankles. She and my dad (a GI after the war) used to joke that she got even by marrying an American!

My mom lost her family before and during the war to natural causes. One strange thing - she had no recollection of the years 1943-1944. Her friends told her she was moving around the country a lot but she couldn't remember any of it. She suspected she was traumatized in some fashion and probably was...

My mom recalled the German soldiers as very proper and very well uniformed all the time. She told me that when Italy changed sides, she joined others waving goodbye to the Germans leaving town: "Auf Weidersen (sp?) Fritz" and the Germans replied (as if they knew better) "Ja, Ja, Auf Weidersen." She said it was a shock when they came back very promptly and occupied the country.

She was raised in a fascist environment, participated in all the Young Fascist activities and said she mainly did it to flirt with the boys.

Her first fiancee was an Italian youth killed on the Andrea Doria (not the passenger ship, silly!) and of course if they'd married, I'd not be here now!

Thanks to you all for posting this fascinating thread and my regards to your loved ones for giving so much.

Ohmygosh, how could I leave this out...

My Ukrainian mother in law was a forced laborer in Germany during the war. She lives with us today and, because she speaks no English, we get by in part on pidgin-German!

Her immediate family lost all but 2 of 7 male members during the war.

[ January 12, 2004, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: gunnergoz ]

gunnergoz · January 13, 2004

This thread is a treasure! Very moving.

My mother, then a teenager, survived American and British bombing of her Italian home town, Ancona, but she did get shrapnel wounds from it and when she died some 14 years ago, she still had the shrapnel in her feet and ankles. She and my dad (a GI after the war) used to joke that she got even by marrying an American!

My mom lost her family before and during the war to natural causes. One strange thing - she had no recollection of the years 1943-1944. Her friends told her she was moving around the country a lot but she couldn't remember any of it. She suspected she was traumatized in some fashion and probably was...

My mom recalled the German soldiers as very proper and very well uniformed all the time. She told me that when Italy changed sides, she joined others waving goodbye to the Germans leaving town: "Auf Weidersen (sp?) Fritz" and the Germans replied (as if they knew better) "Ja, Ja, Auf Weidersen." She said it was a shock when they came back very promptly and occupied the country.

She was raised in a fascist environment, participated in all the Young Fascist activities and said she mainly did it to flirt with the boys.

Her first fiancee was an Italian youth killed on the Andrea Doria (not the passenger ship, silly!) and of course if they'd married, I'd not be here now!

Thanks to you all for posting this fascinating thread and my regards to your loved ones for giving so much.

Ohmygosh, how could I leave this out...

My Ukrainian mother in law was a forced laborer in Germany during the war. She lives with us today and, because she speaks no English, we get by in part on pidgin-German!

Her immediate family lost all but 2 of 7 male members during the war.

[ January 12, 2004, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: gunnergoz ]

gunnergoz · January 13, 2004

This thread is a treasure! Very moving.

My mother, then a teenager, survived American and British bombing of her Italian home town, Ancona, but she did get shrapnel wounds from it and when she died some 14 years ago, she still had the shrapnel in her feet and ankles. She and my dad (a GI after the war) used to joke that she got even by marrying an American!

My mom lost her family before and during the war to natural causes. One strange thing - she had no recollection of the years 1943-1944. Her friends told her she was moving around the country a lot but she couldn't remember any of it. She suspected she was traumatized in some fashion and probably was...

My mom recalled the German soldiers as very proper and very well uniformed all the time. She told me that when Italy changed sides, she joined others waving goodbye to the Germans leaving town: "Auf Weidersen (sp?) Fritz" and the Germans replied (as if they knew better) "Ja, Ja, Auf Weidersen." She said it was a shock when they came back very promptly and occupied the country.

She was raised in a fascist environment, participated in all the Young Fascist activities and said she mainly did it to flirt with the boys.

Her first fiancee was an Italian youth killed on the Andrea Doria (not the passenger ship, silly!) and of course if they'd married, I'd not be here now!

Thanks to you all for posting this fascinating thread and my regards to your loved ones for giving so much.

Ohmygosh, how could I leave this out...

My Ukrainian mother in law was a forced laborer in Germany during the war. She lives with us today and, because she speaks no English, we get by in part on pidgin-German!

Her immediate family lost all but 2 of 7 male members during the war.

[ January 12, 2004, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: gunnergoz ]

Foobar · January 13, 2004

2nd Lt. Willard Eugene Caddell

My Grandfather was a pilot for the US Army Air Corps.

He flew a photo recon mission called the F4, flew 40 missions iirc, for the Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaisance Wing.

I am glad he finished his tour before the Me-262 hit heavy deployment. By that time in the war, his outfit was flying over Germany proper, and the Germans had finally realized that a lone P-38 was followed days later by a flight of B-25s bombing the hell out of everything.

They lost a number of P-38s to 262's, coming straight up their tail from below, with no warning. After a while, the F-4s started getting P-51 escorts.

Until the 262s, there was nothing out there that could outclimb or outrun the P-38, and they had the damage tolerance reminiscent of today's Warthog.

(He came home, married my grandmother. Went through school at Texas A&M, and came out with an aeronautical engineering degree, worked his career with General Dynamics on projects like the Tomohawk Missile, and F-16. Papa died a year and a half ago, leaving 4 children, and 10 grandchildren. I was his eldest grandson, and I miss him very much. I remember him most not for his accomplishments in his career or any notoriety, but for the love and wisdom he poured into me, and the example he set, most importantly to experience God and his presence.

It is one of my highest goals to honor his memory, and to make my thanks to him through passing on as best I can what was given to me, to others in my life.)

Foobar · January 13, 2004

2nd Lt. Willard Eugene Caddell

My Grandfather was a pilot for the US Army Air Corps.

He flew a photo recon mission called the F4, flew 40 missions iirc, for the Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaisance Wing.

I am glad he finished his tour before the Me-262 hit heavy deployment. By that time in the war, his outfit was flying over Germany proper, and the Germans had finally realized that a lone P-38 was followed days later by a flight of B-25s bombing the hell out of everything.

They lost a number of P-38s to 262's, coming straight up their tail from below, with no warning. After a while, the F-4s started getting P-51 escorts.

Until the 262s, there was nothing out there that could outclimb or outrun the P-38, and they had the damage tolerance reminiscent of today's Warthog.

(He came home, married my grandmother. Went through school at Texas A&M, and came out with an aeronautical engineering degree, worked his career with General Dynamics on projects like the Tomohawk Missile, and F-16. Papa died a year and a half ago, leaving 4 children, and 10 grandchildren. I was his eldest grandson, and I miss him very much. I remember him most not for his accomplishments in his career or any notoriety, but for the love and wisdom he poured into me, and the example he set, most importantly to experience God and his presence.

It is one of my highest goals to honor his memory, and to make my thanks to him through passing on as best I can what was given to me, to others in my life.)

Foobar · January 13, 2004

2nd Lt. Willard Eugene Caddell

My Grandfather was a pilot for the US Army Air Corps.

He flew a photo recon mission called the F4, flew 40 missions iirc, for the Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaisance Wing.

I am glad he finished his tour before the Me-262 hit heavy deployment. By that time in the war, his outfit was flying over Germany proper, and the Germans had finally realized that a lone P-38 was followed days later by a flight of B-25s bombing the hell out of everything.

They lost a number of P-38s to 262's, coming straight up their tail from below, with no warning. After a while, the F-4s started getting P-51 escorts.

Until the 262s, there was nothing out there that could outclimb or outrun the P-38, and they had the damage tolerance reminiscent of today's Warthog.

(He came home, married my grandmother. Went through school at Texas A&M, and came out with an aeronautical engineering degree, worked his career with General Dynamics on projects like the Tomohawk Missile, and F-16. Papa died a year and a half ago, leaving 4 children, and 10 grandchildren. I was his eldest grandson, and I miss him very much. I remember him most not for his accomplishments in his career or any notoriety, but for the love and wisdom he poured into me, and the example he set, most importantly to experience God and his presence.

It is one of my highest goals to honor his memory, and to make my thanks to him through passing on as best I can what was given to me, to others in my life.)

January 13, 2004

I first asked my Dad about WWII when I was learning about it in grade school... I could see that didn't want to think about it... Later, I began to read alot and I started playing WWII wargames because of my curiosity... I studied all I could find except for Anzio and the Italian Theater as I wanted to know as much as I could before I read about his area of involvement...

He was in the 1st Armored Division at Anzio where he caught shrapnel in the left arm...

He also told me about a British column that stopped near him... One Brit was talking away when a sniper bullet hit him in the chest... Everybody dove for cover but the fellow that had been hit... He went right on talking until he fell over...

Dad told me about being scout (on point) one day when he came under fire... He said he ducked down behind a 6 inch tree and that his canteen was hit...

Later in the Po River Valley, his Lt. took over a big house on the hill they had just taken... The Lt. sent my Dad somewhere (he was the Lt.'s runner)... Just as Dad stepped out of the door the house blew up (the German's had it zeroed in) killing everyone inside and wounding my Dad in the same arm as earlier... Dad lay there for some time... Long enough for the frostbite to do permanant damage to his feet...

Dad's older brother had a mail room job in the Philappines but I don't know any details... The fact that they had to adopt children always made me wonder though...

My Dad's younger brother lost his life as a machine gunner in defense of the last ridge before the Pusan Perimeter at the beginning of the Korean Conflict...

p.s. My Dad retired in 1980 and is still going strong at 79... He has 20-20 vision thanks to laser surgery, but he hasn't had much high frequency response in his hearing since the war...

[ January 13, 2004, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: BigAlMoho ]

January 13, 2004