Some WWII stuff i found

[judge]

Frank you'd be happy to spend some time with current Iraq/Afghanistan veterans. I get to know a lot of them because we hire them at my job. They are fine, fine people who have certainly faced their fair share of combat hardships.

judge those journals rule. You should look into sending scans to some historical group. They would eat those up. I know a few years ago the federal government was sending out interview kits for an oral history of WWII veterans, a great idea.

Actually. After I 'found' the documents I did track down his squadrons historian and sent him a copy. I was a bit obsessed with the items for a while but haven't looked at them much lately. They are a great piece of history. All put in a box in 1945 & I swear never opened again until he died. Most the soldiers I know, have known, that saw action (WWII, vietnam, Iraq) aren't macho & gungho. Most seem to feel lucky and a bit superstitious that they got back ok. I know for my dad everytime he was a mission or two away from being discharged they increased the required mission number.

Here are some more missions & some incindieries flyer (for the underground) & also propoganda (I don't know what it says in German). These were from what they dropped on some missions. Also some photos from air.

[soupsandwich]

wow...those journals are so humble...all that intense action in a tidy little report.

The young veterans I know don't really tell a bunch of war stories. Although my friend did say a suicide bomber blew himself up near them and the guys penis landed on his humvee.

My Mom has a bunch of Vietnam letters from my Uncle. Its odd he mentions booby traps a lot, and thats what blew him up and eventually he died from his wounds. I work directly with a few Vietnam vets now, they tell some funny stories about smoking weed in their hooch, trading laundry soap for sex...but no war stories.

[MrBlonde7]

Those journals are amazing. Thanks for sharing them, really.

[schizo]

Actually. After I 'found' the documents I did track down his squadrons historian and sent him a copy. I was a bit obsessed with the items for a while but haven't looked at them much lately. They are a great piece of history. All put in a box in 1945 & I swear never opened again until he died. Most the soldiers I know, have known, that saw action (WWII, vietnam, Iraq) aren't macho & gungho. Most seem to feel lucky and a bit superstitious that they got back ok. I know for my dad everytime he was a mission or two away from being discharged they increased the required mission number.

Here are some more missions & some incindieries flyer (for the underground) & also propoganda (I don't know what it says in German). These were from what they dropped on some missions. Also some photos from air.

It says:

THE TRUE ENEMY


who longs for peace:
the German soldier who experienced and survived five useless combat years.

He hates the war:
Because he knows that even the Weissblutung(?) of the armed forces can't save the homeland.

He has only one thought/goal:
To survive the last weeks of the war, and be able to return to it's work and to his family.
_________________________
Who fears peace:
The Parrtyleaders and the gentlemen of the SS, which provoked this war.

They need the war:
Because they know that only the German armed forces stand between them and destruction.

They have only one thought/goal too:
To extend the war; because each day of battle means another day of power and life.


The Party and SS are ready to sacrifice the last German soldier, yes, the last schoolboy who can do anything but carry a rifle.

THESE PEOPLE ARE THE TRUE ENEMY!

[judge]

It says:

THE TRUE ENEMY


who longs for peace:
the German soldier who experienced and survived five useless combat years.

He hates the war:
Because he knows that even the Weissblutung(?) of the armed forces can't save the homeland.

He has only one thought/goal:
To survive the last weeks of the war, and be able to return to it's work and to his family.
_________________________
Who fears peace:
The Parrtyleaders and the gentlemen of the SS, which provoked this war.

They need the war:
Because they know that only the German armed forces stand between them and destruction.

They have only one thought/goal too:
To extend the war; because each day of battle means another day of power and life.


The Party and SS are ready to sacrifice the last German soldier, yes, the last schoolboy who can do anything but carry a rifle.

THESE PEOPLE ARE THE TRUE ENEMY!

Thanks for translating. Intense.

[yutzey]

Weiss = white
Blutung = bleeding

this whole thread is just awesome. amazing insight into a pretty awful time in history

[philaarts.com]

i thought this was for the wii and clicked on the thread.

[crosshair]

My best friend from grade school was killed in action in Afghanistan last May... though I hadn't seen him in some years I'm fairly certain he wasn't an over-entertained, know nothing bag of blubber.

But I agree with John as regards our potential to rise to necessity.

[Sash]

My dad used to work at the VA and heard lots of war stories.

One that I remember is one a US airman told him about how, after a dogfight over northern France, he was running low on fuel and had to get back to London but didn't know which way to go cause his navigational equipment was busted. A German fighter pilot who was flying close seemed to sense his predicament and pointed in a certain direction with his finger. The airman wasn't sure if he was fucking with him, but decided to go in that direction, and sho nuff made it to London.

[Plaidman]

This thread is pretty awesome. I'd love to see other WW2 stuff and hear the stories if you got them....I've always had an obsession with WW2...love hearing the stories.
The best story war story I heard from when my Grandpa was in the war I actually heard at his funeral....I guess he didn't share the story with a lot of people. It was when he flew bombers durnig the war, and he and the crew were getting ready for a flight. As he was boarding the plane, a higher ranked official showed up and for whatever reason, told him that he was going up with the crew, and my Grandpa was going to stay on the ground for this one. My grandpa was ticked off, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do, so he followed orders and got his stuff and got off the plane. All he could do is sit and watch as the bomber he was supposed to be on sped down the runway and took off.......and proceeded to lose power and nose dive back down into the ground and explode in a fireball. Everyone onboard was killed. So he not only had the horror of watching his friends die, but was left with that "holy shit, I should be dead right now" feeling too. I guess it kind of haunted him his whole life.
It's crazy to think how close it came to me not being here.
I also remember him telling a story about a bunch of guys flying a bomber from Texas to Denver, loading up the back with snow, then flying it back to Texas and after doing a "Bombing run" with the snow, all the guys having a snowball fight there on the runway.