What did your family do in WW2?

[Sethik]

Wow we should have a "what did your family do in ww2" thread as everyone seems to have vets in their family.

As mention in thed WW2 theater thread.



Since I am Russian almost all my grand-relatives (grandfathers, grand uncle (is that even a word?), etc.) served in the military during the war. Unfortunatly I don't know what specific units they served in.

My maternal grandfather was a career officer and went to military school for artillary officers. He served on almost all the fronts in the war and was never injured (except for one case when he stood too close to an artillary piece that went off.) When the war was over he was 22 and a Major. He eventually worked his way up to Lt. Colonel but was never given a Generalship because he was Jewish.

My paternal grandfather enlisted as an infantrymen. I don't know much about his experiences as he doesn't like to talk about them. He lost his brother in the war.

My mother's uncle lost his leg when an artillary piece hit him. He was considered a hero when he came home and eventually became a Judge. I don't know much else since I wasn't close to him.

My maternal grandmother died when my mother was young and my grandfather remarried. The woman he married lost her brother and father in the war. Her brother was in the airforce and was shot down somewhere in Yugoslavia I think.

So what did your relatives do during WW2?

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

My Paternal Grandfather was too young, my Maternal Grandfather served as a first mate in the Merchant navy, on several different ships. He was offered a captaincy after the war, but was unable to accept it due to developing stomach ulcers.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

Great uncle served for the Vaterland on the western front in France, got captured and died after the war. No damn medals or nothin/

[PanzerJaeger]

My paternal grandfather commanded a Panzer IV on the eastern front as part of the 11th panzer division of the Wehrmacht. He fought in battles to rescue the trapped soldiers of Stalingrad and then around Rostov where he recieved an iron cross with no specialties. He was killed at Kursk taking the high ground around Butovo.

My maternal grandfather was a low level supply officer for the Kriegsmarine. His brother was in the 3rd SS Totenkopf and all i know of him was that he was killed around Demyansk Pocket (he isnt spoken of very often ).

Various other members of the family were in the German armed forces, but nothing very special apparently as no one remembers too much about their history in the military.. or mabey they dont want to remember?

[IrishMike]

One Grandfather was a medic, in the Western Europe Campaign for US. Was their from D-day to the end. The other one made tanks back in the states due to health problems. I know for sure, I wouldn't have wanted to be a medic.

[Red Harvest]

One side of the family served as U.S Marines in the Pacific and all survived despite some near fatal wounds, the other side served primarily in the Royal Canadian Air Force (lost 2 distant relatives that way.)

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Ours survived... We weren't engaged in the war but our "government" (literarily dictators until 1950) were pro-fascist until late '43 and maybe even later. Due to the fresh memories of the previous war and proceedings, the people were basically "German sympathizers" but of course nobody knew about the Holocaust and other stuff by then. (There was no free press at all, everything was under censorship.) People were not to be blamed. The British sank a vessel of ours in the Mediterranean to force us into the war against the Germans and people recognized enough about it before the censorship managed to cover up etc. etc...

Many basic substances were unavailable, the most (in)famous being sugar shortage. My father (b. 1937) still remembers many details. My mother was born after the war but its "circumstances" lasted until years later. My paternal grandfather used to be a minor local administrator by then and had a lot of things to tell us

Confliting actions were being carried on by the dictatorship. Some German refugees (Carl Ebert, Max Meinecke, Paul Hindemith, Friedrich Statzer...) were employed, while some "others" (Einstein!) were turned over. Some native Jewish businessmen were robbed and exiled using a specially invented tax law. Some Turks and Christians did suffer from it as well... (Later, in 1956, an allegedly government sponsored wave of violence now called the "September 6/7th events" caused lives and properties of several Christians. Although it was the Greeks who were targetted, Armenians did suffer too. As a result, thousands of Greeks gradually migrated from the contry. Now, an estimated total of 900 [nine hundred] are living in Turkey.)

Anyway, the war marked the end of the literary dictatorship (but NOT the overdomination of the military caste, which is still as valid as it has been since 1908) and introduced a pseudo-democracy. Social classes started to break and melt down into each other gradually, "citizenship" and "civility" began to decay... Today that "process" is complete, hence my profile location...
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[BalkanTourist]

Hey, 900 Greeks in Turkey is better than 0 Turks in Greece. According to the Greek government, there are no minorities in Greece. Anyway, I thought that the issue was resolved after the Greko-Turksih War in the twenties, when some tremendous blunders on behalf of the Greek general (can't think of his name) caused the loss of Smyrna (Izmir) and the surrounding area which was primerally inhabited by Greeks. After the peace treaty both countries swapped thier minorities.
Had Turkey joined the Axis the Russian situation would have worsened tremendously, but that's a different topic.

[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.

[Longshanks]

My paternal grandfather was in the US Army, he was badly wounded in France and walked with a slight limp for the rest of his life. He was the only son in his family. He did have a cousin that was a tanker in Europe, but I don't know much about him.

I'm not sure what my paternal grandmother did during the war.

My maternal grandfather was also in the US Army, and fought in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery at Anzio. His oldest brother was a B-24 crewman in the 8th Air Force. The youngest brother was in the Marines and fought at Peleliu and Okinawa. He was killed in action during the battle of Okinawa.

My maternal grandmother went to work in a factory that manufactured parachutes.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[Somebody Else]

My grandfather ran a bookies from his artillery battery overlooking a racecourse in India.

[Slyspy]

My paternal grandfather served on corvettes escorting convoys to and from the States, Canada and Russia. Nasty business bobbing around in the Atlantic in a coatal patrol vessel!

His brother served on torpedo boats guarding the Channel, and was involved in various other coastal defence roles.

My paternal grandmother was a nurse and saw some terrible things on the wards in Haslar and other hospitals.

My maternal great-uncle saw remarkably little action in North Africa with the army. Rommel must have been scared of him lol!

Think my maternal grandfather was in the army too, but we don't talk about him. Families!

My maternal grandmother worked in some capacity on the railways, I forget what exactly.

PS

My maternal great grandfather served and died on the Western Front in WW1 as a sergeant in the artillery. He was killed by German artillery while he and others from his unit were on stretcher duty in the last year of the war. We have his medals, his tobacco tin (of all things) and the letter his CO wrote to his widow. He had never seen his youngest daughter, my grandmother.

[Fisherking]

When I was growing up it seemed that every adult male with the exception of my Grandfathers (exempt because they were farmers) had been in one or another of the military services. Everything from Air Force to Marine Corps.

One aunt was a Nurse posted to England. Most of the women worked near home and were nurses or teachers.

One Uncle commanded a bomber squadron . One served with Pappy Boyington. One was a combat engineer who fought on New Guinea . One was a Marine who fought through most of the island campaigns. He said Tarawa was the worst of them all.

Some were at Normandy all the way to the occupation. Some from North Africa all the way to Italy at the end of the war.

It seemed as though someone was at every major battle fought by the Americans in the entire war.

One was killed on Bougainville.

For most of his service my dad was on one of the smallest ships in the navy, an LCI. Most of his stories were about the terrible storms in the Pacific. When the war ended he was in route to Japan with a full load of troops for Operation Olympic.

My wife is German. Her Grandfather was an Aircraft Engineer for Messerschmitt. He did a lot of the work on the Me 262. On the other side of her family they were ethnic Germans living in the Ukraine. Her grandfather was drafted into the Russian Army, given up for dead, and her Grandmother fled at the end of the war with 6 children, on foot from around Kiev all the way back to Germany. They arrived in Dresden and left there only hours before the bombing.

Most of her parents stories are of the hardships and privation during and after the war.

[Sp4]

A bunch of people from my family served in the military but I only know of my grand uncle, who served on the Eastern front and was captured and later let go. Another grand uncle was captured by Americans on D-Day and my grandfather was captured somewhere in Belgium.

[Dimeola]

My Father quit college to become a bombadier on B-29s at the very end. He later went on to fly the first jets in the USAF, became a flight instructor and then flew for and became the first flight instructor for american airlines when they built their flight academy in Texas.
My uncle Sam (seriously lol) was a tank commander in a Sherman. I remember the few family reunions I went to as a kid in Arkansas and remember him joking and telling stories tho dont remember any. he was the kind of guy who would walk into a room and just take over lol.
My great uncle Whitaker was the commander of a transport unit, he flew C-47s. At D-Day they towed the gliders over normandy to land paratroopers etc behind the lines. he was the first c-47 pilot over german hel territory on d-day.
Uncle Clate was a marine. He got his thumb partially shot off on Iwo Jima. I dont remember him ever talking about it. I just remember him as a quiet, loving funny guy. After dinner one time while all the folks were still gossiping in the kitchen he and I avoided doing dishes by sneaking out onto the porch and pretending to be napping lol.
Part of my family came over from Japan before the war. They had alot of land in what is now the Napa wine valley. During the war they were put in the internment camps where several died due to lack of food and medical attention. This is something that ive read about yet cant understand nor forgive. And I know it made them very bitter. Congress finally authorized small payments to the families who were interred but they lost everything they owned and never got it back and no amount of money could bring back our loved ones.

[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

[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.

[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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[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

[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.

[tibilicus]

Any ones know or have grandparents who were in the thick of it i.e D.day or even more interesting anyone know or have relatives who were in Berlin in the final days of the war finishing of the Nazis?