My great-grandfather served in the German army during WWII. He was a military police (Sicherheitspolizei) and after the war he was sent to prison for 15 years by the russians because of that. Fortunately, he got out after 8 years. He died in 1988 ,four years before my birth. Because he served for the SD (it had and still has a bad reputation), I don't know any war stories from him, but fortunately I still have some living relatives, who could talk some stories to me.
My great-aunt husband served in the 20.SS division and another relative served for the Luftwaffe. Someday, I will search for some information about them also.
Well, here are a couple of pictures of my great-grandfather.


Karel

My Grandfather was in the Royal Engineers during WWII. I only got to talk to him once about his service as he died when I was 14. I know he was in Italy and as the Axis forces were retreating they would blow up any bridges they crossed. My Grandfathers unit had to repair/rebuild the bridges to allow the Allied forces to advance. He went into great detail about the bridges and getting local labor to help and then in passing said that quite often they would be shot at as they worked on the bridges.
That's about all I know of his service and I would have loved to have known more but I don't have a clue as to how to go about finding out anything, so your kind of service could well be of interest to me.
Cheers
David

David, PM sent with research tips.

Good luck!

Chas

Hey Chas,

I am sending an e-mail to my great aunt to get some more info about him. I found a few pictures of him as well. To add to that, my great aunt sent me a military-issue book published in 1942 telling about all the soldiers in the abbysinian campaign. Believe it or not, there is a picture of him in the book, maybe I will try to fax it for you guys. The book is falling apart and I would like to share it before it is too late. I also found out that he got some type of medal (I forget, i will try to receive information) with the oak leaf. It was awarded by the king! Knowing how our ancestors fought bravely, it gives me such a proud feeling. I will update later on with some info.
Bye for now!
M4A2Sherman

Oh yeah, i forget my great cousin! He was an officer of a U.S. Nuclear submarine around the 1960's. My dad was invited to go on it when he was a kid, but his strict grandmother made him go to church instead! When he came back, the sub had left.
Doesn't that stink!
M4A2Sherman

My father joined the Canadian Scottish Regiment at 15 as a cook's assistant and batboy in 1937.
His battalion saw combat through N.W. Europe, into Holland and Germany.
After Occupation duties in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, Dad was discharged in 1947 having been the youngest Major in the Canadian Army when he was 23.
Dad's father was enlisted as a Lieutenant with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada in March 1916, having already served with the Lord Strathcona's Horse for a brief time.
My aunt Yvonne served with the RCAF's squadrons posted in England, working in photo recon and intelligence.
My Mum's father enlisted as a surveyor with the 1st Canadian Pioneers Battalion in August 1915 and served at Vimy Ridge.
My uncle Pat served with the Royal Canadian Navy during WW II.
He was one of only 5 survivors out of crew of 140 of the HMCS Margaree (H49) that was sunk in a collision in October 1940.
Pat retired as a Commodore in the 1970's after the Royal Canadian Army, Airforce and Navy became the Canadian Armed Forces.
I'm currently trying to gather any photos and papers on my relative's war time service.
Cheers all !!!

jjumbo

Well, as you can see if you read my profile, my ancestors' service is one of the biggest reasons I'm interested in WWII history. From what I can gather, I had three relatives who fought in the War.

My maternal great-grandfather was in the Army Rangers during WWII and Korea. I don't know much else about his service. I know he seemed to have attained a high rank, but that's about it.

My paternal great-uncle served in the 5th Armored Division, 81st Tank Bn, Alpha Company. He was killed in a tank about two weeks before the end of the war. His rank was Tec4, so if family lore has it right concerning his death in a tank, he was the driver. The only other things I know about him is that he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star Medal, but I don't know what the Bronze Star was for. I would really like to know.

My paternal great-grandfather served in Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division. I know very little about him other than that he earned two Purple Hearts, returned from the war with a bad case of nerves, and narrowly escaped death at the hands of a sniper (his second PH). The way I've heard it, he was walking down an abandoned and ruined German city street with his buddies when one of them called his name. Right as he turned his head, a sniper's bullet grazed the bridge of his nose. Thus, his fellow soldier saved his life, because if he hadn't turned his head just then, he would have been dead. There's another story about his group coming across an abandoned Belgian farmhouse and being able to sleep in beds for a night. He also brought home a German MP40. I've never seen it, but its description matches the 3rd rifle down in this list.

My grandfather served on board one of the "41 for Freedom" subs as a missile technician (I think) during the Cold War.

I am trying as hard as I can to gather more info on these vets, particularly those who served in WWII. They have all passed away now, so it is hard to find anything. I want to write a paper/book or maybe even create a documentary on their service, so I need all the info I can get. I'd love to be able to find and interview other vets who might have served with them. This would give me a unique perspective on their service. Any pointers to help me in my research would be greatly appreciated.

sweaver

There have been some great stories shared here, especially your's, Al. Like Shaun, Ive seen that picture a million times and have always liked it. What a great story!

My dad served in the US Navy - Medical Corps as a Lt. Commander in Viet Nam ‘68-‘69. He served on board the USS Sanctuary. The ship was a converted Liberty Ship and had a helo deck at the stern that could accommodate 2 Hueys or 1 Chinook. During his tour he spent time with the US Marines in Da Nang. He was on board ship during the Tet Offensive and told us the choppers were landing with wounded day and night 24/7. He saw a great deal of suffering during his tour and doesn’t talk about it much anymore.

Chas,

Since you're interested in veterans, military history, and genealogy, you might be interested in this film.

The League of Grateful Sons

From their site:

"Our goal with The League of Grateful Sons is to honor the sacrifice for freedom made by these men, and all who fought during the Second World War, and to pass on their legacy to the next generation. May this story inspire you and your family to keep their memory alive and to preserve the heritage of your own fathers for generations to come."

Although it focuses on Americans who fought on Iwo Jima, as you can see from the quote above, the ideas apply to all combatants.

Enjoy!
sweaver

EDIT: Although I have met the producers of this film, I am not involved with the project in any way.

Cheers for the recommendation Samuel. I'll try and watch that asap.

Chas

Hi guys,
Heres the update, as promised.
I found out that my great uncle was a sergeant in the Queens own Cameron Highlanders and that he served in Palestine and India, and when the Italians invaded Abyssinia he was sent to help out. He was then wounded in Eritrea. When war started in 1939, he was posted in Libya and when the Germans captured Tobruk, he was captured to. In 1942 he was sent to a prison camp in Rome. When the Italians joined the allies, the Italian guards all went home! All the prisoners ran for the hills. The Germans soon took control and chased the prisoners up slopes and around mountains, eventually rounding them all up, except for a lucky few, including my great uncle George. He then went to a anti-fascist town and was the joint leader of a partisan group that was made up of 60 partisans. They roamed around the hills and caused as much damage as they could. For this he was mentioned in despatches and got the Oak leaf with his medals. He got the Palestine, Italy, Africa and Victory medals.
Thats about all!
M4A2Sherman

Great to read the new info.

Thanks Q,
Chas

Chas , my grandfather on my Moms side was in WW2 severing in the Canadian forces . Which part I don't know . My Grand mother would never talk it or dis close any info to us . I do know that he lived through it . I never meet him . He past away when I was born .

My Grandparents on my Dads side of the family were living in Germany durning WW2 . Not a good place if you are Jewish . They were lucky enough to escape to Russia and from there they went to London and from there over to Canada . They had to change their names as well as there faith . They do talk about it when i ask about what it was like , but it brings such painful memories and upsets them so much . I stop doing that .

My father served in North Africa and Italy with the South African Army, he was a forward observer with the 22nd Artillery Regiment IIRC. He said that he actually spent a good deal of his time in Italy calling fire for the U.S. 1st Armored Division, but that cross national attachments like that were rare. He made the rank of Corporal and was discharged when the war ended.

hi there, my mother in law handed this book and showed me..a picture of her father...who fought during WWII...a guerrilla officer serving the US army under officer robert lapham. i read the book and in my amazement..or just i've realized how little i know about the guerrilla movement. well some i'd heard from my father and old folks around the town..but this book tells the different side of the war. the men behind the movement and how they fought the enemies..with little or no resources at all.



i met my wife's grandmother..she was a nice old lady with a bright smile always on her face. little she told us about her husband.except only their lives during peacetime and civilian life. she just said..her grandfather used to be a guerrilla and that was it. here's the picture of emilio hernandez. my wife's grandfather i'd never met. his brother antonio also served the movement and was also under mr. robert lapham command.



and here's a copy of a certificate of recognition given to them after the war. i guess he was a hero or something.. who we never knew. sadly..he died early and i missed that part..talking to a WWII guerrilla..there could have been so much war stories on this men who fought and survived WWII.



just one thing..i can't figure out who was the president signed on the certificate.

as for my dad. he was a civilian worker a metal craftsman..down at the cavite shipyard(sangley point). his story was....right after the attacked on pearl habour...the japanese planes made preparation for the second wave and no one knew where and when they will strike. he was there when they bombed the shipyard..sangley point...where the US naval shipyard was located. the fateful was dec 10 1941. his account was..their surpervisor a naval officer...shouted at them to take cover..for the planes were bombing and strafing the whole place. a few seconds he saw his officer life snuffed out of the strike.





he also was injured and was immediately taken to a red cross hospital in manila. he was thought to be one of the missing or presumed dead..his family grieved but his mother felt he was alive. luckily..one of the townfolk worked in the hospital...saw him by chance recuperating from his injury. he got a sharpnel embedded on his back souvenir from the strike. later on..his brother and some family members fetched him from the hospital..the rest of the war years...he was a horse rig driver. from there lots of stories poured in as he witnessed the japanese occupation of their town up to the city of manila. his and other civilian accounts gave me a view of what was like it during those war years. the pictures from sangley point was taken from.....http://web2.iadfw.net/lrs/sangley.html...hi to all and cheers. edssarao

Thankyou for sharing this piece of History with us. The story about Emilio and your father is really interesting.

I believe the signature is by President John F. Kennedy.

It is not often that you come across stories about the guerrilla movement in the Philippines, definitely an area of History that needs more documentation.

Chas

My families military history probably pre-dates Culloden, but I can trace both sides back that far.
Both sides, maternal & paternal, were part of the Highland Clearances after Culloden, having fought on the Jacobite side. Both families settled in New York state, but during the revolution, remained loyal to the crown, and were chased to Canada by the Americans. On my fathers side, my direct ancestor fought with the Kings Royal Regiment of New York during the revolution. My maternal ancestors fought with Butlers Rangers in many of the same campaigns.
Along comes the War of 1812, paternal ancestor fought with the Glengarry Fencibles in Upper Canada, awarded the British General Service Medal with bar for Chryslers Farm (which is still in the family possesion). Maternal ancestor fought with the Brit army in Flanders, and was wounded at Waterloo.
Along comes the Crimea, another one of my ancestors answers the warrior call, and trots off to far side of the world. He suvives the Crimea, serves in the Sudan, comes back to Canada, and joins the Royal North West Mounted Police, where he served until his untimely death when a horse fell on him.
The Boer war, my great-grandfather answers Canada's call for this one, and joins the Royal Canadian Regiment, and of course trots off to South Africa for his adventures. We also have his medals.
Along comes War One, my grandfather and his three brothers enlist in the 2nd (Eastern Ontario) Battalion CEF, and off they go to France & Belgium. Grampa and one of my grand-uncles survive, but the other two do not. One was killed at Hill 70, and the other died of scald burns in a field hospital after being wounded at Vimy. I have all the medals for the four of them.
World War Two comes along, and gramps once again volunteers, and is assigned guard duty for CP Rail on POW trains. My dad and my uncles are all too young for this fight.
Korea, my uncle Warren enlists with the RCR, goes to Korea, gets wounded, comes back home and disappears in the Canadian North. We did'nt hear from him until 1982, when he shows up on our doorstep just in time for gramps funeral.
Vietnam comes along, and my dad becomes one of many Canadians to enlist in the US Army, and he served with the 2nd Air Cav, for two years in Southeast Asia. I was three years old when my dad went off to war. He passed away a year ago from cancer, the docs told him he probably accelerated the cancer by being in SE Asia so long ago.
1979 comes along, I drop out of school, join the Canadian Forces as an artilleryman, and get to see the world. Seved in Germany, Cyprus, Norway, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Retired in 2001 after 22 years service because I wasn't having fun anymore.
My son has just enlisted to be a Marine Engineer in the Canadian Navy, couldn't be prouder as a parent to see him getting a trade out of the military.
So.....after a long story, my family has deep military roots, not only in this country, but others as well.
Keep the home fires burning, and support our troops & veterans.

Art

Art, wow, you have a very in depth knowledge about your family military history. Good on you.

Chas

Hey, Chas. My family has some cool military history. My wife's grandfather was a nose gunner on a B24 stationed in China. He "flew the hump" several times and was camped in front of the Taj mahal when they turned the lights back on after the war was over. My wife is also a descendant of John Mosby, the Gray Ghost, who was a cavalry commander in the American Civil War.

I could use some help with my grandfather's WWII experience, though. He went ashore in France on June 16th with the 68th medical group, 175th medical battalion. Fortunately, he could type, so we was able to stay off of the front lines. I can't seem to find much about the 175th medical battalion, though. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for where I should look?

Thanks!
Michael

I'm finding it difficult searching the net for info Michael.

Does the USA have an equivalent of the UK's Ministry of Defence? My suggestion would be to get in touch with them and try and get your grandad's service records.

I think the 175th Med was part of US VII Corps. You could try get in touch with the unit society/historians... Otherwise, try some museums.

Sorry if I'm a bit vague, this is a tough one.

Thanks, Chas! It is a tough one - I've been struggling with it for quite a while. I hadn't thought of your suggestions, though, so thanks! You have helped. I'll be sure to let know if I'm able to find anything through those routes.

Thanks again!
Michael

Cheers Michael, glad to have helped a bit. Please do let me know how your research goes.

Chas

my grandpa on my mums side was a mechanic in the luftwaffe(not a fallscrimjger as i had thought before.) and he also worked in the heinkel factory. he was captured in north africa. he told me a story of how when he was a prisoner in a louisiana pow campo, he and his freinds got bored, so they started painting white swastikas on all the turtles. a few dayslater, they found masses of shot up turtles lawashing up on the shore. the navy thought the turtles were carrying bombs apparently. LOLOLOL

Awww... that's sad... but funny.

my grandfather on my mothers side was in the army in Darwin during the japanese bombing in WW2 . He suffered shellshock and spent the rest of his life in a hospital .
my dads father and two brothers served in the Australian army in New Guinea , i dont have any details . i remember visiting pop and that he had lots of trench art and memorabilier . dont know where that went - he had nine sons and one adopted son ! ha ha .
my dad was regular army , Royal Australian Army . and served 22 years in the Medical Corps . He toured Vietnam with 5 RAR in 1969 . he was Regimental aid post sergeant . according to the 5 RAR tour book - The Year Of The Tigers - 25 5 RAR diggers paid with their lives in those twelve months . He's never got over his time there .

my dads dog tags and photo of him ( on right ) with Dr Robertson outside RAP Nui Dat 1969

Getting a shot from Sgt Bullock . ( from Year Of The Tigers )

he also spent time in Papua New Guinea in 1968 and we had three great years in Singapore from 1970 to 1974 where he was the Ward Master at the military hospital in Changi .
my eldest brother joined up as an apprentice motor mechanic with RAEME at 15 years old and served 20 years .

dont mean nothin drive on