What did your family do in WW2?

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Nothing was solved. It was/has been total tyranny for both populations.

Facts and politics... The Greek government deny the Turkish population; there are a lot of them. The Turkish government deny the Armenian genocide; directly or indirectly the proto-fascist "Union and Progress Party" caused around 400,000 Armenians' death post 1915. The Armenians claim a one sided genocide; no, almost equal number of Muslims were massacred by the Armenian paramilitary in WWI...


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[thrashaholic]

My Paternal Grandfather joined up during the middle of the war (too young at the start) as a wireless operator for the RAF where he served in West Africa (Nigeria I think) and later in Holland once it had been liberated.

My Maternal Grandfather was a research scientist and consequently not allowed to fight (he worked on technology to do with telecommunications I believe). He lived in London, so enlisted as an air-raid warden instead of fighting.

One of my great uncles (I don't know anything about the others) fought in the Royal Navy as well, but I don't know very much about that.

[Craterus]

My maternal grandfather was too young.
My paternal grandfather joined the British Navy for WW2.

[SwordsMaster]

My paternal grandfather was a sapper up until 1943 in the Stalingrad area, and then was given his natural place: on a plane. He was a fighter pilot for the rest of the war, was never injured and made it to captain of the red army despite being spanish.

My maternal grandgreat grandather died as he tried to escape a german prison somewhere in the Ukraine, he was a partisan, he was shot dead. My grandfather then, worked for the partisans, then served in the army as an infantryman and came back to partisaning. When the red army liberated the Ukraine, he settled down in Kazakhstan and married.

My maternal grandmother was deported by Stalin to Kazakhstan because she had a polish-german parents and was considered "suspicious" by the regime.

My paternal grandmother was in artillery logistics (I´m not quite sure what she did exactly), but also received a medal.

[Red Harvest]

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The Turkish government deny the Armenian genocide; directly or indirectly the proto-fascist "Union and Progress Party" caused around 400,000 Armenians' death post 1915. The Armenians claim a one sided genocide; no, almost equal number of Muslims were massacred by the Armenian paramilitary in WWI...

Most estimates I've seen were in the 1.5 million range. A rather one sided affair. I'm fairly skeptical of claims by Turkey on this issue regarding casualties inflicted by Armenians. It is a bit too convenient to point to likely inflated claims of Turkish casualties to justify genocide (no I'm not talking about you personally, Mouzaphaerre, I am very skeptical of likely sources.) It seems little better than trying to point out casualties from various Native American uprisings to justify the systematic elimination of them, violations of treaties with them, and confiscation of their lands in the U.S.

[Mouzafphaerre]

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I'm fairly skeptical of claims by Turkey on this issue regarding casualties inflicted by Armenians. It is a bit too convenient to point to likely inflated claims of Turkish casualties to justify genocide (no I'm not talking about you personally, Mouzaphaerre, I am very skeptical of likely sources.)

Not claims... The concrete evidence is right there. Even witnesses (of the "both" ways) still survive.

The trouble is, both governments (+ Armenian diaspora) are running a dirty war of propaganda/counter-propaganda, among which history -at best- remains unnoticed.

The accounts are most probably exaggarated by both sides, but the facts and their memories are there.
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[GoreBag]

I never understood the deal with the Armenian genocide. Sure, there were casualties on both ends, but neither side will admit to systematic elimination. Why not? The Spanish did it, the English did it, the Germans did it, the Americans did it...most of them got away with it. I don't see the situation as ever resolving better than a write-off, as unjust as that may seem.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

My grandmother on my father's side worked in a factory and my grandfathe ron my father's side was about to enter the war as a B-17 pilot when the war ended.
My other grandparents didn't do anything that I am aware of I think my grandfather had a medical condition and I have never met my other grandmother.

[soda]

It's fascinating how almost everyone's grandparents were involved in the war someway or another. Of course the majority of people posting here are from either North America, Europe or Asia, the three continents mainly affected by the war. (I don't think anyone said they were from north Africa).

[GoreBag]

Oh, right, my family. Well, the side of my family whose surname I bear were both doctors in WWI (great grandfather and great grandmother). They met in this time. Around the WWII time period, they got the hell out of Europe.
In other branches of my family tree, there was an artillerist, and the rest fought almost exclusively in the Canadian Navy, although I was told an interesting story, once, that said that I had not-so-distant relatives fighting on both sides of the battle surrounding the sinking of the Bismarck.

[Watchman]

I know my maternal grandfather was drafted in -39 to take part in the rather desperate Winter War (also sometimes known as the Finno-Soviet War) against the USSR, as were about all the young men that could be scrounged up. I know he also served as a junior officer (squad leader level) in what we usually call the Continuation War (-41 to -44; Finland signed up for Operation Barbarossa and eventually made a spearate peace with the USSR when everything was going to Hell - after which we were promptly obliged to chase the several hundred thousand German troops remaining in the northern part of the country into Norway).

I don't think he's ever talked about it in the family. Ever. But he has written some war memoirs. A lot of veterans did, just to cope with the memories. I've read one of those, a pretty gripping account of experiencing an artillery barrage.

I know very little of my paternal grandfather, but apparently he managed to weasel his way out of the uniform. Go figure. Not an entirely stupid thing to do, mind you.

And I've heard my maternal uncle's father-in-law served as an army sniper. He's apparently been none too talkative about it either (small wonder), and even his memoirs studiously avoid the subject. One gets the impression the job sort of got to him.

[Serpent]

My father was young boy when war started and he moved Sweden to safety.
His father died by grenade during winter war. ( same war as the Watchman told about)

He was considered as hero. Also my other grandfather was in war as an young boy....17-19... Im 19 . He just said that it was insane and horrible time in his life. He also hopes that I don't have to go through the same thing.As do I.

My maternal grandmother was serving army as an one of the Lotta.

Here is link for Lotta:

http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?...&curtab=2222_1

[ShadesWolf]

MY Paternal Grandfather was deaf from a mining accident, so could not join up, he was part of the home guard and a fireman.

My Maternal Grandfather, was to be part of the invasion force for the landings in Japan. He was stationed in Northern Scotland, He never saw active service.

MY Grandmothers both worked in weapon factories.

My Maternal Uncle fought the Japanese in Burma and was awarded the Burma star.

To many details to go into here.

I have no details of my Great Grandparents, except my Paternal Great Grandfather took part in the first world war

[Hosakawa Tito]

My father's oldest brother was lost at sea in the North Atlantic serving on a Liberty ship making a supply run to Great Britain in 1943. The next eldest brother served in the Army Air Corps as a mechanic. His eldest sister worked in the KABAR knife factory in Olean NY. My paternal grandfather worked for the Kendall Oil Co. in Bradford PA as a well inspector, many of which were in the woods surrounding the family homestead. As a boy, my Dad collected scrap metal for the war effort and dug a drainage trench (at a penny per foot/3 feet deep) for the construction of a regional airport in the Smethport PA area. He saved his money $150 to buy his first horse.

[Rising_General]

My Grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy, fought on Omaha beach, his best friend was ripped apart by machine gun fire right beside him. He lied about his age and joined when he was 17. after Normandy he went to calia and worked as a u-boat engineer. After the war he left with a purple heart and I believe a silver star. He does not like to share his memories of it. but to me, he and every other Allied soldier that died will always be a hero to me.


JS,


"No dumb bastard ever won a war by dieing for his country, he did it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his" -General George Patton

[Craterus]

My grandfather does not like to talk about his WW2 experiences as part of the British Navay so I don't know where he was during the time or what he did. I guess it will always be a mystery.

[Don Corleone]

My maternal grandfather worked in the postal exchange in the Atlantic Navy. Nice work, if you can get it. One of his brothers was a submariner. The other was a real hero, he was a paratrooper and dropped into Normandy on D-Day. He got a Silver Star because he and his guys defended a convent from the Nazis when they tried to pull out through their grounds. As my mom's family is all Catholic, of Irish descent, so as you can imagine in my family, he achieved diety status. He was even knighted by the pope.

My paternal grandfather was actually rather old. He fought in WWI in the infantry. I know he was at Verdun and a couple of other places, he was really, really quiet on the details. By the time WWII came around, he was in his 40s and had just gotten married and had a kid, so he got an exemption.

A man I grew up calling Grampa (very close family friend) was a radioman on a B-27 crew. Flew 35 sorties.

[pariya]

grandfather was a major cornal .......... lifelong officer .... retired through the army..
won a bunch of medals ect.

had a bunch of other realatives who served as either infantrymen or low ranking officers

don't know much about all of them tho

[Brenus]

My grand father wasn't mobilised as soldier during WW2. Being a member of the french railway, he was kept on this duty. Trains must work. Being in the French Communist Party (the underground one, like my grand mother) and a unionist, he organised within the FTPF (Francs Tireurs Partisans Francais) sabotage actions and ambushes. I was very young when he died, but my grand mother told me about the resistance when I was doing my home work.
I know that his reseau (net?) attacked the Gestapo HQ in Bourg en Bresse, where they found the list of all the French collaborators... My uncle still has his Webley, parachuted by the British.
My mother still remember that she told to shut-up and to be at the same natural but careful...
My grand father escape from a killing in my village just by luck. He eared people speaking russian so he jumped in the ditch and flee... I made some research about that, but no russian troops were stationed in the region. I finally conclude, but without hard evidence that it was probably the SS from the SS Division Handshar (Croats and Muslim from Bosnia and Croatia), wich was in training in the Puy de Dome, not so far, who did the job.
My father was young but was used as courier, and carried explosive and weapons. I still don't know if it is the family legend or real facts...
My grand father refused all medal, except the one for work...
My father earned his medals in Vietnam (Indochina, at this moment) where he served from 1948 to 1951... But that is an other story...
I am proud of my grand father choice, even if it was his choice and nothing to do with me.

[Redleg]

My dad's father was a Navy SeaBee who won The Bronze Star for valor on Siapan - it cost him over a year in Navy hospitals recovering from his wounds.

My mother's father was a Field Artillery Observer in a piper cub in Europe - and he rarely talked about the war - but he also recieved a medal for valor.

My mother's uncle was a tank platoon leader in Patton's Army.

[Stefan the Berserker]

Grand-Grandfather Preilowski was an high Officer in WW2, due to he served as a very young man in WW1. He was deployed on the western Front with the Invasion of France, Garisson of France and later lead Battles in Belgium against the US-Army. He was captured there.

Grand-Grandfather Gutschmitt was assasinated by the Nazis, because he was a Member of the SPD.

Grand-Grandfather Holz was temporary imprisioned because he had been KPD-Member prior to 1933 (But left the Party in fear when Hitler came to Power).

My Grandfather Hubert Holz was, as all Youth in his age, forced to join the Hitlerjugend. He was seduced by Nazipropaganda in this time, even saw Hitler himself during a Parade in Berlin. Due to the Hitlerjugend was susidiary of the NSDAP he was promoted as a young politician and "youthleader" of the Region resulting in he was promised the Rang of Luitanant when he became Adult. When third Reich ordered the Frontusage of the Hitlerjugend (however they were a youth Militia and assisted Garisons prior to it) he and the Boys under his Leadership (the most of those 14-16 aged Boys ignored the adult Officer) were formed into a Espionage Company and recieved Krads and Aufklärer 38(t). However they where deployed on the Eastern Front and had terrible encounter a Platoon of T34/86. The Adult Officer ordered to attack (a bit displaced), my Grandfather ordered Retreat and Inform the Battalion-HQ. Resulting in the adult one tried to shoot him, which ended his loyalities to the Nazis. The Boys did retreat, but due to some followed the order where smashed. As after that Event the adult Officer got right, the remaining Equipment was given to an exile romanian Company. The Boys should be punished by only fighting as Infantry aslong as they are all dead. However that did happen, may Grandfather and few others survived because they were injured.

To quote myself and add:

Maternal Grandfather was too young, but also forced to join Hitlerjugend. His Parents applied Membership in the SS for him and enlisted him for an SS-Grammarschool. He fled from the GDR in the 50s

After 1945 the Socialist/Communist part of the Family living in the GDR became SED-Members, while the ex-Nazi part and SPD-group in western Germany joined Ardenauer's Policy. However, as far as I can reconstruct my familyhistory (until 1888), there's the paradoxon that we have no moderates. My Anchestors where either Left or Right Extremists and have a strange "ambition" to apply for Leadership...

Dang! They're all like me!

[cunobelinus]

my great grandad was a commader

[Gawain of Orkeny]

My father was an anti aircraft gunner on a tanker and my Uncle was in the OSS and served in europe mostly in the balkans. He speaks many dialects of German as well as 7 other languages and now lives in Greece.

[Lord of the Scotts]

They went to the US from Ireland(I think about that time.

[Craterus]

my great grandad was a commader

In WW1 or WW2?

Where was your grandfather stationed?

[Browning]

One my grandpa was killed on the last day of the Siege of Warsaw in 1939. He was the commander of an AA gun on the Polish side.

The other grandpa was a Polish infantry officer and he was hiding 1939-1945 in the hills along with his son (my uncle) fighting the Germans guerilla way.

His other son, my father, was too young for that thus he stayed in Warsaw and... was educated by the Germans to be a very good engineer.

In fact, we are (partially) of German descent...

[Franconicus]

My familiy is German. My parents are both born in 1940, so they were 4 when war was over.

My father's father was wounded in WW1. He was a policeman. I do not know what kind of police. There were many different kinds those days. More or less all of them did bad things. My fathers family ended the war near the frontier of Austria. My aunt still remembers that they went into the mines when the town was bombed. My grandfather was in a prisoner camp after the war. When he returned my father didn't accept him because he didn't know him!

My mother's father didn't go to military because he had 7 children. His oldest son was 15 when the war was over. He fought for AAA for the last months and was the POW.

There is a story about my grandfather. He was a manufacturer (chiseler). One day he saw children throughing stones at a women, who was Jewish. He told them to stop doing that. Next day the leader of the local NS party (who was in the same music club he was) told him that he had to leave the town immidiatly. So he moved with his family the same day. He managed to find a job and to feed his children somehow. They moved to Augsburg. My uncle told me that he was attcked by US fighters on his way home from school. Augsburg in 2000 years old. It was destroit completly just before war was over. After the war my grandfather made good business - the family of the Jewish woman had left the country in time. They owned a factory and remembered my grandfather.

[Butcher]

All this is very interesting, especially to here from so many different countries.
Here's my two £'s:

My (Polish) Paternal Grandfather fought the Russians in '39 (in his own words, him and ten others were given a rifle and ten rounds and told to 'go stop them') upon which he escaped and made his way up through Spain to the U.K, where he joined the Polish Army there and served as a Tank Commander (again in his own words 'we were in Shermans, and everytime we saw a german Tank we just got out and ran because we knew it had seen us first'), Fighting through France with the Polish Armoured Division and ending up in Germany where he met my (German)-
Paternal Grandmother, who despite being rather young, was conscripted into the Luftwaffe as a radio operator (in her own words 'It was so sad to see all these young men fly off and none return, and to hear their screams in the radio as they were shot down') and was eventually posted to Berlin towards the end of the war. She ended up having to escape the advancing Russians and walked all the way to Denmark (3 weeks walk apparently) during which she was shot at (along with other refugees) by U.S planes, in one instance the bullet pinned her hair down to the ground.. nice! She then got sent back from Denmark to Germany to her family in a coal train, where she met her future husband who was billeted in her house.
Her father was a private in Von Paula's 6th Army, and was one of the lucky ones to come back from Russia in the 50's. Apparently they couldn't recognise him when he did, he had changed so much.

On the other side, my (Irish) Maternal Grandmother didn't do much apart from live in Ireland, until she met my (Dutch)-
Maternal Grandfather who was in The Netherlands when the Germans invaded, and joined the Dutch Resistance. As a Civil Engineer, he was a dab hand at blowing up bridges etc, until he was forced to flee to the U.K because apparently the Germans didn't like people doing that sort of thing. He then signed up with the Royal Engineers, became a Seargent. I don't know what he did after this, but do know he ended up having to sort out some concentration camps at the end of the war. He never got on with my German Grandma, unsurprisingly.

The interesting thing is that none of them had anything nice to say about the war, it was generally more unpleasant than we realise, and not something that they willingly went through.

[Petrus]

My maternal grand father was reserve lieutenant in the french artillery in 1940.

After the defeat as he was born in lorraine and refused to become german, he fled with his pregnant wife in portugal where my mother is born then managed to go to northern america. I don't know what happened then.

My paternal grandfather just died. He was born in 1898, when to war in 1917 and came back a year later heavily wounded by gazes. He survived after several long stays in sanatoriums. But with kraut's revival in 1940, there was a medical shortage and he could no more heal himself so he died in 1944 at the age of 46.

My maternal grand father's brother in law served in the wermacht on the east front where he was wounded and captured. He came back several years after the war's ending with a huge hate of russians and metal scraps in his legs that went out til his last days of life.

One of my maternal's uncles served as a sailor in the free french navy.

I don't know anything about relative's activitys during this war but none of the ones i have known accepted to speak about that, almost everything i know came from letters writen to family members, military papers, citations and medals.

[Petrus]

My maternal grand father was reserve lieutenant in the french artillery in 1940.

After the defeat as he was born in lorraine and refused to become german, he fled with his pregnant wife in portugal where my mother is born then managed to go to northern america. I don't know what happened then.

My paternal grandfather just died. He was born in 1898, when to war in 1917 and came back a year later heavily wounded by gazes. He survived after several long stays in sanatoriums. But with kraut's revival in 1940, there was a medical shortage and he could no more heal himself so he died in 1944 at the age of 46.

My maternal grand father's brother in law served in the wermacht on the east front where he was wounded and captured. He came back several years after the war's ending with a huge hate of russians and metal scraps in his legs that went out til his last days of life.

One of my maternal's uncles served as a sailor in the free french navy.

I don't know anything about other relative's activitys during this war but none of the ones i have known accepted to speak about that, almost everything i know came from letters writen to family members, military papers, citations and medals.

Sorry, i forgot words.