Skipper,

Vancouver is a little ways from where I live - my folks eventually lived in Saskatoon, about the same distance from Northern Fance to the southern tip of Portugal. However, my father's cousin was a pilot instructor in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan - did spend sometime in Britain, lives in Vancouver, and is very active with his former squadron etc. He is also an ex-Air Canada pilot. Send me a PM with anyone you are looking for and I'll email him with the information to see if there is anyone he knows about or has suggestions.

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

I have just got off the phone with my grandmother In the last few months I have been talking t her more and more she lives in Minnesota and I live in Michigan so I do not see her that often after seeing some of the story’s of some of your grandparents I decided to ask her what here life was like during ww2
She was seven when the war ended but she remembered a lot
As a child she was always afraid of the Germans and Japanese coming to her house so she created a special place in her attic where she put a bunch of her blankets this is where she would go if she ever saw them coming down her street or coming from a air plain in the sky
And one day she said she was terrified because the Germans did come. There was a German POW camp close to her house and a few of the prisoners escaped and came to her house in there black and white striped uniforms. They took her fathers car her father yelled for his father who live right next to her house and he came with his shot gun by the time he got there the German POW’s were gone with her fathers car
The police came and followed the POW’s with dogs the POW’s a banned the car along the highway and ran in to a stream but the police found them.
She also told me how she remember to being able to get things as a young girl because you had to save up your ration stamps she also said she remembered her mom wanting to get silk stocking but could not
She also remembered the air raid drills because her mother was the black out warden for her street she said they always had to have the curtains closed at night and the lights of when they had the drills

This is what she has told me so far she had to go but I am calling her again this week so i hope to learn more

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Anothony 'Swoff ' Swofford : A story: A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands, love a woman, build a house, change his son's diaper; his hands remember the rifle.

My grandmother was in Germany before and through the war, she didn't share many anecdotes but told me some interesting information, which contradicted publication at the time and led me to personal research and a healthy skepticism about everything from aircraft specifications to politics. She seemed to know a lot about various Messerschmitt fighter variants, including Adolf Galland's personal mount.

my mums real dad wasn't involved in either of the wars dipite being in the queens own royal west kent. her stepfather was involved in WW2 and spent alot of time in dunkirk. he wont talk about his expirences, his regiment or anything. he wont even say what medals he got - we know he did get some.

so its nice to read other peoples tales.

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Amy

Maybe you can start a thread on the information section Amy, and someone can help?

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Scott

7 Apr, 1943
The German submarine U-644 was sunk in the North Sea north-west of Narvik, Norway, in position 69º38'N, 05º40'W, by torpedoes from the British submarine HMS Tuna (Lt. D.S.R. Martin, RN).

Hi All

I would like to add my Grandfathers personal recollection to the above. My Grandfather served as the Sonar Operator on HMS Tuna at the time of U-644's sinking. Unfortunately my Grandfather is no longer with us, but this is his brief account of the action as he explained it to me some 20 years ago.

Please accept my apologies for not being precise, 20 years is a long time for my memory to recall exact details.

My Grandfather said that the sinking of U-644 could have gone either way, "us or them" as he put it. For some quirk of fate the "Tuna" had been due to surface at night to send/receive radio messages at a specific time. Some time before they were due to surface they encountered a technical hitch which prevented them surfacing at their alloted time. As they lay just under the surface trying to recticy their technical problem U-644 blew her tanks and surfaced right in front of the "Tuna" my Grandfather relayed the co-ordinates to the Captain and U-644 was successfully hit, sinking in a matter of minutes.

My Grandfathers most vivid memories of the attack on U-644 was as she went down, the whole crew were in stoney silence as they listened to the U boat breaking up on her way to the bottom of the Atlantic, my Grandfather said the sound of grinding, twisting, collapsing metal had always been with him. They were acutely aware of the fact that if they had surfaced at the correct time they would have been the ones' on their way to a watery grave. When they did finally surface the searched for survivours but to no avail.

The chances of two submarines arriving at more or less the same co-ordinates, on the same day, at the same time has always amazed me, one survived and one did'nt, yet my Grandfather never made an issue of it, he would just say it wasn't his time, a statement which he never elaborated on either.

My father served in Patton's Third Army. He went across North Africa, Sicily, and finally, was in the third wave on D-Day. Christmas 1944, he was nearly mortally wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. He hadtwo Bronze Stars and Two Purple Hearts. However, he peaked as a person during the war and he lied his way through the rest of his life. A tragic shame because he might've had some tales to tell if he wasn't such a disreputable person.

My mother married a pilot in 1942, when she was 15. He flew a B-17 and for a while they lived in McCook Nebraska (he trained there). They divorced four years later and my father swooped in.

My stepfather was a Marine. During the Battle of Midway, he was on Midway. He was in a machine gun nest. When the planes attacked, they came from an unanticipated direction. A five inch gun swung directly over him and fired. The concussion knocked him out for three days and took away 90% of his hearing.

Nice tales, people. It's a joy to read your posts because they give a human touch to what happened several decades ago.

This tale comes from my father, who was seven years old when the Japanese invaded the Philippines.
He told me that their whole village had to pack up and flee to the mountain city of Baguio when they received news that the Japanese arrived in Northern Luzon. They thought they would be safer there because my grandfather was a blacksmith for a mine company there. But with all the rumors of what the Japanese were doing to civilians they caught, they decided to pack up again and leave after only spending a day there.
They hiked their way down the 5,000 foot plus mountain to the plains of Central Luzon. But on the plains, they found that they were more vulnerable. Japanese pilots apparently didn't discriminate between civilians or military convoys so anything on the roads were strafed. This was at the time that Macarthur's North Luzon Force was making withdrawal to Bataan. They had little food with them and had to make do with what they had. Fortunately, since my late grandfather was a blacksmith, he had a useful skill that could be bartered in exchange for food and fresh water in the other small villages they passed through.
He recalled a particular night when a priest passed through their makeshift encampment. The priest went to several family huddles and blessed them. Those whom he blessed that night survived the next day's strafing. Those families that didn't had kin lost to the Japanese attack.
When they reached the small town of Binalonan in Pangasinan province, they settled. My father then helped the family by working as a cochero or driver of a calesa (a local version of a stage coach). Because of his work, he was tapped as a watcher by the local guerrilla group.
Years later, he joined the Philippine Air Force, telling me that he joined as a mechanic because he could help keep planes in the sky and help protect civilians from ever being strafed again. That memory of being strafed several times over the course of several weeks is the one that stands out in my father.
As an enlisted man, he often gave his other buddies money to take his place on guard duty so that he can attend night school. He succeeded in getting a college degree and because of that, he was able to join OCS. Then on to Malaysia with the SAS Jungle Warfare School and to Fort Bragg for the Special Warfare Course.
His service was cut short when the Huey he was on was hit in Mindanao
He took the early retirement when he was a colonel.
I don't know what it's really like to be strafed. It must have been pretty bad for my dad to use that experience in his choice of a career.

Further my uncle and grandmother's experiences in World War Two in the Pacific Theater, I consulted my history-lecturer at university and asked him about how badly Singapore was attacked (My grandmother and uncle were living there at the time, I believe).

We all know that as you get older, you forget stuff and invent some other stuff and put in stuff into your stories that was never there in the beginning, so I wanted to know just how true what my uncle told me, was. So I asked my lecturer how badly Singapore was bombed during the Battle of Singapore. He told me that the Japs rained down firebombs and destroyed a great number of buildings and facilities and this makes me think that what my uncle was telling me ("No gas, no water, no electricity, hardly any food, Half the buildings destroyed..." etc) was all very very true.

My lecturer asked me why I was so curious and I told him about my uncle's experiences and how he was only seven or eight at the time of the Battle. He said: "Must've been a very very hard time to grow up in."

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http://scheong.wordpress.com/

"Not Yet Published", my writing and history blog. Feel free to take a peek and leave some comments.

In reading my grandfather's journal, the one I have covers the period after he got injured at Kharkov. He started it when he lost his kit and a nurse got him a book to write in. From what I gathered, his Stug lost a track and when they bailed, he was hit by gunfire. He doesn't remember anything but got hit in the shoulder, lower left back and somehow his leg was broken. He was unconscious for days. He summarizes the battle and his time in hospital somewhere in Poland. He got transferred to a hospital in Bavaria for further recuperation. That is what I have gathered from a 3 month period so far.

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my grandma once was washing the clothes of several German officers who staid in her house during occupation. They said they would need clothes at morning and there was already evening so she put it after washing on crapse over the fire in the yield. So it started burn. She took her children and went to forest nearby. The last she saw before going to partizans - German officers dancing around the fire trying to save their clothes.

I did just read my grandfathers soldierpassport
In time of Winter war my grandfather was private in Civil guard and guarded in Southern Ostrobothnia. When Continuation war started he was in reserve ready to join in fight. He was trained to use MG but 1942-43 at trench warfare he was cook. 1943 he did go to reserve. He did come back in 1944 when Soviet offensive started and used his machine gun. (Im very sorry about my english skills)

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My grandfather was only a boy ( 15 or so) When Germany was defeated. he said he ate so much food the days after the ration was called off.
So sad that Soilders are dying every day with their memmories. I thimk we need to make up books about their experiences....

You all have interesting stories from your grandparents, and I enjoyed reading this thread. My grandfather was in the army at the time of 'The Emergency', but it was the Irish one, so he didn't ever see any fighting. Basically, he was stationed out in the middle of no where, guarding a bridge incase the Germans ever invaded. :P
I don't really know much about it, I must ask him sometime.

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Issuing Orders - A WW2 Role-play

My Grandfather was an tank engineer before the war started,became a tank repairman for the british army.

The tanks he repaired did battle with the german tanks and you all know who came of second best.
My granddad before repairing the tank had to clean the tank out, it was full of human body parts. Fingers, Heads, Hands,Feet,and the Male bit.
He thank his lucky stars that he never had to fight in the war.

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VICTORY IN SPITE OF ALL TERROR

my grandfather(name: gyula) is from hungary shortly before the war the czechs attacked hungary and he was at the border and they came with no warning he was lying with a friend beside a road in a kind of canal. he saw explosions and heard shootings suddenly two men appeared in front of him and shooted he started firing back and they fell down. he looked to his friend and when he touched him, his body felt aside and gyula saw that his half face and head was missing. he stayed in the canal and didnt moved and he hide or act as an death , later that night the hungarian army striked back and found my grandfather he was the only survivor of the regiment. about this day he wrote later ended his childhood cause he killed the first time and saw the death. later the years the nazis accroached the might in germany. hungary were in alliance with them. but the germans didnt trusted the strength of the hungarian so they didnt really fought at the front line. but in the inner of the occupied countries they fought against partisans. in ukrainia but both sides didnt really wanted to fight against each other. and so one day they were standing in the forest, one each side of a glade there were standing the soldiers and every morning while they were standing in front of each other a group of pigs ran over the glade. so my grandfather as the officier said to the ukrainians lets shoot the pigs and make fifty fifty. next morning they shooted the pigs and a officier and the cook came out and took the meat of the pigs and arranged a three day peace at their small line. and had good times in a bad time. in my family the firstborns son name is gyula so my grandgrandfathers name is also gyula he was kind of in resistance in hungaria but we dont know exactly anyway the gestapo wanted him and got him later and tortured him to death but before they got my grandfather but the gestapo got the wrong gyula. they wanted to beat him and others the others were hitten brutal but he cried and howled "dont hit him" so they said <Mod Edited for Language> and he didnt got beaten later he sat smiling between the others with bloody and blue eyes and they couldnt smile. In the prison of the cage more exactly in the basement of the prison there were standing the gestapo guys and the prisoners in one room during a bombardment. the prisoners at the side which was close to the collaps and the germans on the strong side. the building was damaged or something. but the strong side got an direct hit and the prisoners were free. he came free and got catched again and came to another prison which was his old school building. in vienna. he escaped cause of his knowledge about the building and the areal and was almost free but the russians invaded the city and he had to flee again. in the end he ended up in germany. bought lace cause a jew told him, got rich, builded up an factory got three kids got died of parkinson in the age of 93 and i never really knew him. he spoke everything on camera and my uncle typed it down. but my german grandfather hes telling all the time how they kicked the russians asses and from the way back and his story ends at the close combats in berlin. he speaks perfect russian now he learned it in sibiria and came alive back. he stayed in the army till he pensioned off.
and when you talk with him you are all the time somewhere in the war in estonia russia the lost home the positions. the war never really ended for him.

Reading all these great WW2 stories related by grandsons and nephews, who now regret they didn't delve for more stories while Grandpa John or Uncle Harry still walked this earth spooks me out -- makes me feel like some kind of amorphous ghost wisping among you. Well, there are still many of us still around who can still report the straight goods about WW2, and far more truly than the fluff portrayed in books, movies, and TV advertising the True Story of this or that episode as told by writers who learned all about WW2 in books, movies, and TV. Check out B-17 B-24 Pictures Information 8th Air Force Flying Fortress Liberator Ploesti Schweinfurt Merseberg Berlin missions for the straight goods in reports and pictures from someone who was there and still walks among you..
b17sam, your friendly ghost

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35 missions on B17 from Ludwigshafen to Berlin. See mission list http://www.b17sam.com

free beer tomorrow

Hello Sir, thank you for this link. Guys you better be nice with Sam or he'll tickle your feet when you sleep .

Ivisited your site today and enjoyed the stories and the pictures. I love the modern one with the lions under the wing of the aircraft.

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Thank you, Mr. Sam, for sharing your site and your story. I enjoyed the site and will be back to visit more thoroughly. I appreciate your service. I am also glad you are here and willing to share your memories with us.

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Regards, Michelle

Oliver Goldsmith, "I love everything that's old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines."

Sam . . . talk like that in these parts is libel to get you adopted. My father is still kicking, but by uncles have past long ago.

Thanks for the compliments, boys. I really don't deserve them, but come to think of it, I have a helluva bunch of arthritis in both knees and I don't deserve that either.
b17sam

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35 missions on B17 from Ludwigshafen to Berlin. See mission list http://www.b17sam.com

free beer tomorrow

You're a hoot, Mr Sam.

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Best Regards,
JW

Hello all. I dont much detail but I hope to find out more soon.

My Grandfather (dads side) served in the U.S. Air Force during the war, not sure of exact years. He was in North Africa and later in France. We have many of his personal items from the war with is pretty cool. Sadly, he died when I was only 6 months old.

My other Grandfather (moms side) was too young to serve in WWII. He lied about his age and joined the Navy at age 17 in 1949. He is still alive.

My grandfather (moms side) cousin was a Paratrooper in the 502nd Airborne. He jumped in on D-Day. Im not 100% sure, as I was young, but I remember my grandfather saying he was KIA some time after D-Day.

My grandfathers, sisters, husband was aboard the USS Fanshaw Bay in the South Pacific. I remember him telling me about how his fleet was training for the invasion of Japan toward the end of the war, but it never came. After the war he came home and became the sherriff of a small county in eastern Virginia. He died several years ago. I have many of his personal effects.

Although no relation to me, the man who lived across the street to my mom when she was growing up was very close to my family. So much that she and her siblings called him "uncle". This man landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. She said he never liked to talk about. Im sure he saw awful things. Sadly he died many years ago.

Good family history BigBlack, even though your other grandfather didnt serve in ww2, his service is no less interesting I bet. You should gain as much info on his service as you can. Its a young thing, to look at our older relatives and forget that they have been there, done that and seen things. We tend to think of them as not having a youth and being impetuous.

What emergency is it your referring to DanIO? Which decade? Irish Emergency can be pretty interesting story, but the last century was filled with the Irish Emergency. I am particularly interested in the Irish history and conflict. If you have any details please feel free to post. I only say which decade because I suppose it could have been either of the 2 great wars.