Historical Times

[bob48]

Very understandable.

[Gusington]

Consider yourselves lucky, my Grandfather hated talking about the war and it was like pulling teeth to get him to tell us anything.

Life in the Army before the war, however, he loved. He joined in 1938 and always said the peacetime Army (1938-1941) was the best time of his life (pissing off my Grandmother of course :)).

He loved the food, made good friends, traveled and generally had a great time. He was discharged in June 1941 went back into civilian life until Pearl Harbor was bombed...on his 26th birthday. He then was taken back into the Army and served straight through to 1945.

[Centurion40]

the link: http://historicaltimes.tumblr.com

Great find Keunert. Thanks for sharing.

Yeah man, what Atilla said.

[Centurion40]

Kenny. Yes, he did, but only later in life would he mention anything about the horrific part of the war, such as the tank recovery. What he delighted in was the comradeship and the fact that he was able to see so much of the world.

I wish I had asked him more questions, and taken note of some of the stuff he told me, as I'm sure some of it I have forgotten.

Just recently, I've been digging about on the net to try and find some missing bits of info. I'm pretty certain that he was attached to 17th Brigade, at least for part of the time.

from my own research, and from things he told me, I know he saw service in the following countries;

France and Belgium

After Dunkirk, he went to India via cape Town. He loved India and had chance to visit the Taj Mahal.

From there to the Middle East, Iraq and Persia (as it was then). I know he was in the Holy Land as he did go to Jerusalem and 'floated' on the Dead Sea.

His unit also made 2 trips taking Aircraft to the Russians, where, apparently, they drove through Neutral Turkey wearing civilian clothes and with all unit markings painted out.

From there he went to Egypt, where he visited the Pyramids and saw the Sphinx, and, as mentioned above, Sicily and Italy. Eventually he went back to North Africa, and then back to the UK.

By this time he was a sergeant, and was in charge of an ATS section (Auxiliary Territorial service) who were all girls. he must have enjoyed this, as he said that ATS stood for 'Action, Traction and Satisfaction'. They were mainly employed on transporting German POW's around from camp to various building sites were they were used as labour.

Another funny story is from my mother, who dad had by this time met. She was horrified when he drove up to her house one day in truck loaded with German POW's!

I miss him very much as we were great friends. I'm very proud of my Dad.

Thanks for sharing Bawb!

[Centurion40]

yes, first years part of an engineer bat. of the Luftwaffe. severly wounded during Case Blue and after recovery part of an airstrip in Greece.

That's a great pic of your grand dad Kenny.

It's part of the sadness in life, that we can't keep asking our parents and grand parents questions when they're gone.

[Centurion40]

Consider yourselves lucky, my Grandfather hated talking about the war and it was like pulling teeth to get him to tell us anything.

Life in the Army before the war, however, he loved. He joined in 1938 and always said the peacetime Army (1938-1941) was the best time of his life (pissing off my Grandmother of course :)).

He loved the food, made good friends, traveled and generally had a great time. He was discharged in June 1941 went back into civilian life until Pearl Harbor was bombed...on his 26th birthday. He then was taken back into the Army and served straight through to 1945.

Do you have any sense of where he served, at all?

[Gusington]

Yeah in Sicily, Italy and North Africa, probably right next to Bawb's Dad. He was in the US Fifth Army under General Mark Clark.

[Centurion40]

Yeah in Sicily, Italy and North Africa, probably right next to Bawb's Dad. He was in the US Fifth Army under General Mark Clark.

Do you know if he served in the combat arms or support?  One can only imagine what he experienced if he didn't want to talk about it.

[Gusington]

He was in the artillery.

[Keunert]

Gus: your grand dad was jewish? at whach point did he now about the genocide? was this a factor in his commitment?


i was artillery too! Not Sicily but Monte Ceneri.
Nor did i risk my life for a just cause... but still

[Centurion40]

He was in the artillery.

My mom's father was in the artillery in WWI.  He lied about his age and was sent to France in the early summer of 1918 and took part in the Hundred Days Offensive.  He told me some stories when I was 6 or 7, but I only remember his stories of guys falling into latrines, pissing into handkerchiefs to cover mouths and survive gas attacks.

[GDS_Starfury]

great grand parents, grandparents and fathers on all different sides and today we hang out.
thats progress.  ;D

[bob48]

great grand parents, grandparents and fathers on all different sides and today we hang out.
thats progress.  ;D

+1 The same thing went through my mind as well.

[Gusington]

That is progress! One of my best friends' Grandfathers fought for Italy and we're convinced my Grandfather fought hers :)

Kenny: interesting question. According to my family history, my Grandfather knew how Jews were being treated in Europe in the 1930s, and supposedly he tried to sign up for the Canadian Army so he could go over there before the US got involved! Nothing ever came of it I suppose but he got his chance a few years later anyway.

My Grandmother always said the war changed my Grandfather forever. In a different time my Grandparents would have probably been divorced (he drove her fucking nuts) but because of what the war did to him she stayed with him until she died.

One story my Grandfather did tell me was about a buddy of his who was decapitated by a line strung out over the road in North Africa. After that he would kick my GI Joes and yell at me that 'war aint no toy!' He had a few other things he would say but was mostly quiet about it.

My paternal Grandfather was a US Navy weatherman (like our Toonces) on a destroyer in the Pacific, but he died when I was two and I never knew him, which is a shame.

I also had a Great Uncle who died at the Battle of the Bulge.

[BanzaiCat]

My great-great-great grandfather came over from Ireland with his young wife and baby boy in 1860, in New York City. When the Civil War broke out the next year, he promptly signed up for the Union Army, joining one of the New York regiments (not sure which one, there were at least four I think). He was wounded in his first battle and all I know about him after that is he died in New York City shortly thereafter due to wounds. I can only imagine being transported back to NYC must have been a harrowing experience in and of itself for a wounded soldier.

My great-great grandfather, the baby boy, became a cavalry officer, but I don't know much about him unfortunately.

My great-grandfather was in the Medical Corps and did serve during World War I. He was a Colonel.

My grandfather was part of the Army Air Corps in WW2, working with signals. He joined the Air Force when it became its own entity. He died in 1992; he never talked much about his service nor the service of my forefathers, but I know I was a bitter disappointment to him for not joining the military myself. I did do four years of high school Army JROTC and two years of Air Force ROTC in college. If it weren't for an overly pushy Coast Guard recruiter that scared me off, I might have joined the CG. I almost got a job as a cop in 1990 in San Marcos, Texas too, getting past all the tests and background checks and getting a visit in my home by a field training officer, but my optometrist told him I couldn't wear contacts and so poof went that opportunity - had I gotten that job it would have been a dream come true for me at the time, and would have had the added bonus of getting my grandpa off my back about military service, LOL.