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War-stories

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SirStai
Posts: 253 - Karma: 15
My other thread seemed to gather quite a bit of interest, so I though I'd make one for people to post war stories. Although I'm a bit of a pacifist-peace-loving-hippie myself, I'm really fascinated by anything that has to with wars, and a lot of people on here seemed to have some great stories about their uncles and grandfathers and whatnot. I'll kick things off:

So my grandma's brother (my grand uncle?) was the Norwegian champion at 100m and 200m sprint (claim) right before and during WWII, and after the invasion of Norway the Germans wanted to get rid of any celebrities that could encourage the people to fight back or whatever, so they pretty much arrested anyone famous who wasn't a self-proclaimed Nazi. Obviously my great uncle had to get the hell outta here, so he set up a deal with this guy who had a rep' for getting people over to Sweden by boat. So he goes down to the harbor of Oslo, meets up with this dude, and they set of towards the boarder. When they get close, this guy tells my grand uncle to go hide underneath the deck of this tiny vessel, but the only thing he has for cover is a thin curtain. He crawls in behind it, and soon after, as expected, they get stopped by the German marine, and some dude jumps on board to control the ship. Luckily this human-smuggler type is a real pro, so he plays it cool and invites the German down below deck for a drink. So they're sitting there, inches from my grand-uncle's face, just chillin' and having a good time. Turns out this German guy wasn't to interested in this whole war business, so when they're done he goes: "Okay, everything looks good, have a nice day." My grand uncle get's to Sweden, then goes to Great Britain, enlists himself in the Navy and serves on a sub as a radar operator, looking out for torpedoes and mines and schtuff. They kick German ass and all ends well.
Nov 22 2010 5:56PM
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TheHamburglar
Posts: 3895 - Karma: 3,317
thats actually a cool ass story. my dad is norwegian too
Nov 22 2010 5:58PM
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garrettwiz
Posts: 2662 - Karma: 34
My Great Uncle was in the equivalent to the 101st mountain division but for Poland. So he would ski around Poland and what not doing whatever they did, And he ended up getting caught and spending like 5 years in a Nazi P.O.W camp. He ended up getting out and winning some polish military medal. thought that was pretty cool.
Nov 22 2010 6:04PM
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Stamkos1992
Posts: 55 - Karma: 11
That's legit.

My grandfather grew up in Austria at the time of the war, he got drafted into the German army when he was 14. He was at a train station ready to leave when an officer told him to go home because the war would be over in a matter of days. Lucky break.
He told me stories how he used to find weapons around the outskirts of his city in the woods. He once found an abandoned german tank, he went inside and unscrewed a scope of some sort and traded his it to his neighbour for a motorcycle hah. He lives in pickering, ontario now.
Nov 22 2010 6:05PM
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ORDEAL
Posts: 6386 - Karma: 75
My grandpa was an airforce pilot. He has yet to tell me a single story.
Nov 22 2010 6:06PM
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SirStai
Posts: 253 - Karma: 15
Yeah mine neither, at least here in Norway people of that generation don't like talking about it all that much.

But my grandma told me of one time when she and my granddad was in Greece, years after the war, and they meet this German ex-soldier who apparently was stationed in Norway during the war. When he starts going on about "what a beautiful country Norway is" and "how friendly the people are" and so forth, they flip their shit. Haha.
Nov 22 2010 6:16PM
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TWoods
Posts: 10014 - Karma: 8,386
My grandfather on my Mom's side used to drive Sherman tanks around Italy during WW2. funny thing is that he is Italian, and was first generation American. He drove tanks in the countryside around the areas where my family is actually from, but never had enough leave time to go meet any of them. He had a handful of old Nazi war medals he picked up somewhere, but he refused to ever talk about the war.

My G-Pa on my dad's side was a Merchant Marine, he crawled around the trenches of the front lines with a gun and a stack of paychecks to hand out to people every month. Sounds like a terrible time. He never talked about the war either.

I don't really blame either of them.
Nov 22 2010 6:21PM
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Username_42069
Posts: 1591 - Karma: 15
10th mountain division? the 101st is airborne

my grandfather worked in combined British and US intelligence, he never talked about it.

then my grandmother had 3 brothers. one was in the 82nd airborne and died in a glider crash during the invasion of normandy. one was killed serval hours after the initial landings occurred on D-Day and the oldest was shot in the arm/hand. it left his hand paralyzed in the position it was when it got shot on omaha beach. two brothers killed in one day and one wounded, a fucking tragedy for the war effort.
Nov 22 2010 6:23PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
My grandpa was still a kid during the war, he worked as a runner between members of the resistance, and during german troop movement he, being a kid, could observe everything without looking suspicious and report it back to a resistance radio operator

also he once sabotaged a railroad with elder resistance members, but from what i understood, the germans found out and no accident happened, just the train schedule got messed up :)

And towards the end of the war, his family housed a british spy who drew a painting of my great grandfather that now hangs above my uncles fireplace ...

and in the later years of the war he worked in a garage that serviced german staff cars, he was always mischievous and would make sparkplug wiring disappear or short circuit batteries, perforate tires so they would deflate slowly, pour sugar in jerrycans, etc ...

just do anything to annoy the germans :)

and later in the war he worked in an american service pit where he was in charge of the clutches on the jeeps, so after replacing worn out clutches he always got to testdrive the jeeps :)
Nov 22 2010 6:31PM
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paige.
Posts: 1932 - Karma: 924
I found this story online in the Veterans Affairs archives, my family had no idea it existed. Frank Slavin was my great-great grandfather and Frank Charles was his son. Frank was the heavyweight champion of the Commonwealth and then moved to Canada during the goldrush. Because he was over 50 when WWI started they wouldn't let him sign up, saying he was too old. Finally, when they were getting desperate they let him on as a recruiting sergeant (I've found a photo of him with the prince and stuff) and he then later convinced them to send him to Ypres because he wanted to see the action.
Click for larger image
I realize this story is more propaganda than truth but it's pretty cool.
And check the online archives for your family members. I found this, the page from the Book of the Dead with Frank Charles' name on it and the exact location of his grave in France.
Nov 22 2010 6:34PM
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Ducky.
Posts: 5811 - Karma: 1,420
My great-grandfather on my mom's side was a Sherman tank driver for the Nazi's during WW11. He went missing in Stalingrad... and that is where the story ends.
Nov 22 2010 6:39PM
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Smuffy
Posts: 4686 - Karma: 3,408
I really don't know the details of exactly what happened, but my grandma is japanese, and lived in japan during the second world war. As I said, im not sure of the details because she doesn't like to talk about this stuff.

What i do know is that her home was burned by the american army, and the factory she worked at was bombed while she was working there, and saw many people killed. My grandpa actually met her while he was stationed there, and she eventually came to the states, but that part of my familys history isnt addressed often.
Nov 22 2010 6:40PM
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Username_42069
Posts: 1591 - Karma: 15
history channel, FUCK YEAH!
Nov 22 2010 6:47PM
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.AR6rider.
Posts: 15976 - Karma: 8,799
My grandpa was in the 92nd Armored Field Artillery Batallion (Red Devil Batallion) in Korea from 1950-1954.  From what my mom has told me, apparently while he was there during some battle he took a ton of shrapnel to the chest and almost died, but his friend carried him out over his shoulder.  He has some fucking crazy scars from the shrapnel, but he's still alive and kicking.



After serving in WWII with the 2nd Armored Division (Hell on Wheels) the Battalion was stationed at Camp/Fort Hood.
On 12 August 1950, the 92nd AFA Bn left San Francisco for Korea; understrength the BN was sugmented with 200 ROK soldiers.

The 92nd was attached to the 7th ID which was to follow the Marines on the Inchon Invasion.
The Red Devil Bn landed at Inchon on September 20th 1950.
Five days later, at Suwon airfield, Baker Battery fired the battalion's first round in Korea.
The 92nd, which was never in reserve in Korea, was to see over a thousand days of combat in the months ahead.

On October 10th , after the battalion's mission of aiding in the success of the Inchon landing was over,
the Red Devils marched 310 miles to Pusan for necessary repairs.

On November 5, 1950, the battalion took part in a second invasion, this time at Iwon on the East coast of Korea, north of the Hungham beachhead. The purpose of this landing was to close the vise on the communist North Korean forces.

Soon the Red Devils were given an important mission to perform. U.S. Marine and Army units were trapped by a new enemy, Divisions of Chinese Regulars, at the Chosin Reservoir. The 92nd AFA was to help hold the area open until the surrounded forces were withdrawn and had totally disengaged. The Red Devils performance was a major factor in saving these forces.

In January 1951, the 92nd and other U.N. units had ceased to be a withdrawing force and begun a new initiative in pushing northward. By March, the Red Devils were well seasoned in the realities of combat and the loss of fellow soldiers. The unit was confident and better prepared for the arduous tasks that awaited them. Readiness and combat preparedness of the battalion was proven on the morning of April 24, 1951 when "A" and "C" Batteries were attacked by a company size element of Chinese Regulars. The attacking forces were provided with heavy support consisting of mortar and automatic weapons fire. Enemy machine guns were destroyed by direct fire from the Howitzers and fire laid down by the 92nd's automatic weapons mowed the communists down as they made human wave attacks. On that fateful day the Red Devil battalion lost only four men killed and eleven wounded while the communist losses were set at 175-200 killed or wounded
Nov 22 2010 6:53PM
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gyarados
Posts: 1186 - Karma: 399
my mom told me a story about how the ship my grandpa was serving on got kamikaz'd, he was on the uss KIDD
The lone suicide bomber crashed into her forward boiler room killing everyone inside. The bomb carried by the kamikaze was catapulted through the ship and out the other side where it detonated just seconds later. Thirty-eight men were killed; fifty-five were wounded. Among those seriously wounded in the attack were the ship's commander and the ship's doctor, Dr. Broox C. Garrett, Jr. Chief Engineer Lt. (jg) George P. Grieshaber was among those killed in the forward boiler room after having gone below to check on a leaking gauge.
and on the same day FDR died
Nov 22 2010 8:19PM
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theWIZARD
Posts: 935 - Karma: 76
thats pretty insane. your all about the WWII stuff lol. have you watched band of brothers, or the pacific?
Nov 22 2010 8:39PM
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.jesus.
Posts: 2288 - Karma: 22
huh my family's from oslo.

any way i got not cool storys from my family but my dad got drafted and right before he was shipped off to basic the war ended and the draft was declared unconstitutional and my grand uncle was a marine and helped liberate the death camps he saw some fucked up shit.
Nov 22 2010 9:09PM
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