Found some very very, VERY cool information on my grandpa.

[Bruv119]

Whilst we are it,

My Grandad fought in N.Africa, never talked about it apparantly, a relative is currently awaiting his army records so we can find out what went on.  He died when I was 5.

My other Grandad died before I was born, he served on countless Merchant vessels many of which ended up sunk in the Atlantic by U boats.

Two other great uncles one served as a mechanic at Tangmere keeping the planes serviceable, the other got shot twice, once at Dunkirk, by the time he recovered he got hit by a German sniper two weeks after D-day spent most of the war in a hospital bed.

[1pLUs44]

My Uncle was with the 27th Division on Saipan, got shrapenel on his leg, and got shot. The doctors thought it pierced the artery, so thought he wasn't gonna live. So they drugged him up and put him outside the tent. That night, Japanese Raiders went inside the tent and killed everyone inside the tent, but left the outside where the dead were at alone. My uncle died when I was about 8.

[Whisky58]

I never actually knew my Grandpa, as he died before I was born. But I know he was in WW2 from start to finish.


Both my grandpas fought in WW1.  My dad was in WW2.  I suddenly feel very old.

It's good to know about your ancestor's military history.  My maternal grandad died before I was born but dad's dad spent many hours telling  me as a young boy about the conditions of trench warfare.

Made me appreciate how lucky I've been.

Regards 

[1pLUs44]

Well, my sister's grandad (different dad than my own) had flown P-51s during WW2. There is actually a very famous painting depicting when he got shot. (20mm flack nearly shot his arm in half when he was flying low over a farm or something)

[iTunes]

My Old Grandad (Dead now) landed on Sword Beach with the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, used to tell me stories about how wide some of the German Tank tracks were etc. He was in the  1st Batallion, Kings own Scottish Borderers.

[Lye-El]

My father was a Sherman driver in the 10th Armored at Bastonge during the Battle of the Bulge.

This is a letter I posted a while back. http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,219564.msg2639812.html#msg2639812

[lyric1]

He later ended up Dying when I was around 5, from a rare Lung cancer... My family thinks it's from the nukes dropped on Japan, but the Doctors wouldn't say conclusively... I believe he was on Okinawa when they hit.

Interesting point you have here, my father who was in the Australian army was stationed at Hiroshima as part of the occupying forces soon after the war & was stationed there again during the Korean war. He ended up having some rare kind of skin cancer & the authority's as well said it could not be linked to the radio activity. I always thought it smelled of a cover up so they would not have to pay benefits. That is my father in my avatar.

[Nisky]

One of my grandfathers (Nicholas Hengels) was a navy seabee he was supposed to go in on the 8th wave at Iwo Jimo and ended up going in on the 2nd wave. My mom tells me he saw everything on that happened at Iwo and to this day he wrote down everything that happened to him in the war but will not show anyone. My other grandfather (Robert Ivan) was a on an LST the Amphitrite i think thats how its spelled. He went a lot of places like saipan. My grandfather (Robert Ivan) actually had three other cousins still living in Austria and they were drafted by the germans one was killed on the russian front, the second was captured by the british in Italy, and the third was part of the waffen SS he was the rear guard and never left Austria.

[Grayeagle]

Great Grandfather was a Union Major in the Civil War (U.S.)
One Uncle flew B-17's for the 8th, txferred to MAC and died durin Berlin Airlift (was told he spun in flyin thru heavy fog near Templehof)
Another was in 1st Marine on Guadalcanal, shot in the butt by a 50-cal and sent home, his CO told him 'enjoy it while you can until the Japs get there' ..no one thought the Allies had much of a chance back then.

Dad was fwd artillery observer for Patton's 3rd, crazy bastage.
Lied about his age to get in, had a date to show up for Army Air Corps when he got his draft notice.. he got pissed off whenever he talked about it, which was rare.
Went ashore D-day just after his 17th birthday.
Had a jeep crushed by a Tiger (!) ..him and his pal were careening thru a French town at hi speed, made a corner, ran right into the back of a Tiger. Street was too narrow for the turret to traverse, they bailed outta the jeep, the Tiger backed over it. LOL.

He said it took him 3 months to find his outfit again, they were pretty far behind enemy lines when it happened .. crazy bastage for sure

Said the most fun he had was welding a huge plate of armor they got off a blown up Sherman under a jeep, stickin a metal pole up thru the middle, and hangin a 50 cal off it they got from a wrecked P-47. He said their 30 cal jeep would keep the snipers heads down, and the 50 cal would chop the church steeples down ..just cuttin 'em right off the church. He also said you couldn't fire the gun at more than a 30 degree angle off straight ahead or the jeep would tip over from recoil. He laughed his butt off watchin Rat Patrol ..said the jeep they had was so heavy it would never get air like that
It's career ended runnin over a mine .. blew all the axles and wheels right off it, but no one was injured .. LOL .. armor is good.

He was there in the Bulge, with his Springfield 30-06 ..he was all about one shot one kill.
Didn't care for the Garand at all, said it was for people who didn't know how to shoot.

He taught me to shoot.

My Dad.. he really was a crazy bastage.

-Frank

[1pLUs44]

One of my Mom's brothers was in Vietnam, and saw some BAD stuff, which he never told a soul (I think he was at some of the very big battles of the war.) and he committed suicide in 1973 or 1974

[DustyR]

My father was in the US Army in Hawaii before WWII, I had several uncles that served in one way or the other during WWII.  None would talk about except one uncle that drove a gasoline trailer on the red ball express.  The thing about it is that where ever one served be it Allies or Axis war is hell & leaves the participant & their family changed for ever.  I salute all vets & their families, past & present.  {USAF 1960-1966}  

[Fugita]

Both my Grandfathers and 2 Great Uncles all served in the Pacific Theatre. All four of them were Island hopping Grunts.

One of my Grandfathers wouldn't eat chicken because of something he saw. He told me when I was about 15 y.o. that when they hit one Island in particular there were a bunch of dead Imperial Soldiers from the Naval Prep work and chickens were feeding off of them. MMmmmm....Yummy.


On a side note: Mr. Blue. De onde esta voce no Brasil? Minha esposa e Brasilera de Ipatinga, M.G.  Eu visitei familia dela tres vezes ja. Eu gosto ali muinto. Nos ficarmos em Porto Seguro, Bahia por Carnival.

A BIG  to all of you guys grandpas. really..
its cool to read stories like this. Ive from Brazil so i dont have a cool grandpa story, beside the fact that my grandpa was the gollie for the team Pele played for..
but a BIG  to all of your grandpas
and crazierthanu  hope your grandpa gets better

[BMathis]

Interesting point you have here, my father who was in the Australian army was stationed at Hiroshima as part of the occupying forces soon after the war & was stationed there again during the Korean war. He ended up having some rare kind of skin cancer & the authority's as well said it could not be linked to the radio activity. I always thought it smelled of a cover up so they would not have to pay benefits. That is my father in my avatar.

That is interesting...

<<S>> to you and your father Lyric

[Whitey33]

One guy told me interesting story. He said his grandpa fought against russians in finnish army, grandpa´s other brother fought against russians in Waffen-SS, third brother fought against Germany in USAAF!

Reason: there were finnish volunteer battalion in SS-Wiking division, and lots of finnish immigrants in USA.

[Rockdog]

My Grandfather was a Radioman in the US Navy during WWII. I have a bunch of his old photos from his tour that took place from Northern Africa, to Spain, France, and Italy. He also did a tour through the pacific.  When I look at those pictures and I see the destruction that was all around them, I'm amazed. Mostly I'm amazed at the fact that in most of his pictures he is not miserable and seems to be enjoying himself. I guess you only take pictures when it's quiet. That may also explain why he re-upped to fight in the Korean War as well.

When I went to my "A" School in the Navy I was actually bunked in the same building my Grandfather had been in when he was in Wakegan for Radioman school. Talk about feeling like you are in someone else's shadow.

I sometimes wonder what my grandpa would think about me playing pretend WWII.... I don't think he would like it.