Today is the 75th anniversary of the end of the War. What did your parents/grandparents, aunts, and/or uncles do?
My mom's dad worked on the railroad here in Iowa. When the US entered the war, his job was vital to the war effort, so he kept on doing that.
My dad's dad went into the Army and eventually volunteered for the unit known as Merrill's Marauders that fought in Burma. It completed all its objectives, but by the end most of its members were no longer fit for duty due to misuse in combat, disease, and poor rations.
My grandma volunteered to do war work, drilling bullets in a factory when she was 15. She was the only girl bullet-driller all the rest were boys. She was injured in a firebombing raid, and then she and her mother fled to the countryside. She used to pass by a POW camp on her way to school, and throw candy or whatever she had to an American Captain on the other side of the fence. After the war, this Captain ran into her again and gave her a huge rucksack full of rations. Food was scarce at the time, and those rations kept her and her mother going for months. She had to trade all of her pretty kimono for food. They lost two houses to the bombs: one in Yokohama and one in Shizuoka.
Both of my grandfathers were in the Navy and served honorably in the Pacific theatre.
They didn't shovel shit in Louisiana.
Bombed Germany (my uncle was bomb aimer}. Defended Stalingrad shot in arm and invaded Berlin, wife's Grandfather retired as a Russian Colonel. My grandfather on mother's side was an officer in the British Navy which he joined long before WW2 so immediately left in September 1939 in the middle of their family holiday when war was declared. I think he served mostly in Aden and Middle East on naval ships. He rose to Lieutenant Commander, I think, and retired with the rank of Commander.
My great-grandfather, a half-Jewish Lutheran, protested in the town square over Hitler killing the Jews, for that he was imprisoned in Auschwitz. Months later my great-grandmother got a knock at the door, given a box with her husband's ashes, told he died of natural causes at Auschwitz. He was in his early 40s and in good health.
Quote from: Bernadette on September 02, 2020, 05:39:51 PM
My grandma volunteered to do war work, drilling bullets in a factory when she was 15. She was the only girl bullet-driller all the rest were boys. She was injured in a firebombing raid, and then she and her mother fled to the countryside. She used to pass by a POW camp on her way to school, and throw candy or whatever she had to an American Captain on the other side of the fence. After the war, this Captain ran into her again and gave her a huge rucksack full of rations. Food was scarce at the time, and those rations kept her and her mother going for months. She had to trade all of her pretty kimono for food. They lost two houses to the bombs: one in Yokohama and one in Shizuoka.
When I started reading your post I assumed your mother was in England though I thought it odd
that she should be making munitions at the age of 15. Then I realised she must have been in
Germany which would account for the American POW. It was only at the end that the full picture
became apparent.
I'm afraid that after the war the people of my generation were left with a great antipathy towards
all things Japanese because of their cruelty towards allied prisoners of war - in contrast to the
Germans who by and large stuck to the Geneva conventions.
Some colleagues of mine even went so far as to refuse to see Japanese visitors who visited our
research establishment.
Your moving account shows that there are kind people everywhere.
Quote from: Frank on September 03, 2020, 02:46:03 AMWhen I started reading your post I assumed your mother was in England though I thought it odd
that she should be making munitions at the age of 15. Then I realised she must have been in
GermanyJapan which would account for the American POW. It was only at the end that the full picture
became apparent.
FIFY
Quote from: Frank on September 03, 2020, 02:46:03 AM
Your moving account shows that there are kind people everywhere.
The best two bosses I ever had were Japanese.
The worst was a cat lady (total psycho!). She reminded me of a Nursery Rhyme.
There was a little girl, and she had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
When she was good, she was very very good
But when she was bad she was horrid.(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/d3/65/f7d365d594256168873af50d316b7a5d.jpg)
.
My father was a high school student who, as the other boys did, trained part-time to become soldiers after graduation. The war, however, ended before he was called up. His somewhat older cousins served in the Canadian Forces. Two died, one during a raid on Malta where he was in hospital and the other was shot down while participating in the "Dam Busters" mission.
(https://images.thestar.com/yVGC2sj29uumYmngJwXTtIMiLo8=/1200x680/smart/filters:cb(2700061000)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/insight/2018/09/09/the-canadians-who-flew-in-the-secret-wwii-mission-to-destroy-german-dams/_17_surviving_dam_busters_on_airfield.jpg)
Another cousin, who survived WWII, went on to fight in the Korean War as part of the heroic Princess Patricia Regiment.
At home my maternal grandmother worked in an aluminum mill, my great-grandfather was an air raid warden. A great-uncle was previously enlisted in the navy but honorably discharged due to illness, otherwise he would have served. My paternal grandfather's knee would occasionally pop out, otherwise he would have served as well, but he was a farmer so he undoubtedly did his part anyhow.
A great uncle on my father's side was an Army medic when the Philippines were invaded, fate unknown other than being KIA, its probable he ended up in the Bataan death march from some family research though.
My maternal grandfather was drafted mid-1941, and trained in Louisiana before the war. He was initially trained as a machine gunner, but from what I can learn from newspaper articles my grandmother saved, it seems him and a few other soldiers formed an impromptu dance band, which became the 32nd division dance band. He was in the 32nd division, which, after war was declared, was deployed to Australia to defend against the anticipated Japanese invasion, and eventually became the longest serving unit in the US military during the war, also the most decorated (my grandfather was awarded the Bronze Star himself). He was personally in the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns, but traveled extensively due to putting on shows for the troops. The band provided the ceremonial music for the reestablishment of the Philippine Republic as well.
He did not just play music though, as he would be on guard and KP duty, and, I suspect, would probably bring supplies to the front and bring wounded back, the historic role of musicians in battle when not playing. He never spoke of the war, apart from mentioning "washmachine Charlie," a nickname for a rickety engine Japanese patrol plane which would fly over at night and drop small bombs to harass the GI's, so he obviously witnessed grisly stuff; we know what we do from newspaper clippings. He was shipped back in July (?) of 1945 (he weighed only 90lbs) and married my grandmother that September.
My uncle was in the navy from 1944-46. My great uncle was in the army, not sure exactly which years... .
My American grandfather was a signal corps officer for the Army in Alaska. My Indonesian grandfather was a teacher during the occupation of the "Dutch East Indies" by Japan.
Quote from: The Harlequin King on September 03, 2020, 02:17:28 PM
My American grandfather was a signal corps officer for the Army in Alaska. My Indonesian grandfather was a teacher during the occupation of the "Dutch East Indies" by Japan.
I don't think I've ever asked you this but was your Indonesian grandfather a Muslim, HK?
Quote from: Vetus Ordo on September 03, 2020, 03:32:50 PM
I don't think I've ever asked you this but was your Indonesian grandfather a Muslim, HK?
No. That side of the family comes from North Sulawesi, which is one of the only regions of Indonesia that has a majority-Christian population. It was an area that was heavily affected by Dutch missionary activity... although as a whole, the Dutch were certainly nowhere near as missionary-oriented as the Spanish or Portuguese, and so Indonesia is now the world's largest Muslim country. At any rate, my grandfather's second language was Dutch.
Quote from: The Harlequin King on September 03, 2020, 03:40:33 PM
Quote from: Vetus Ordo on September 03, 2020, 03:32:50 PM
I don't think I've ever asked you this but was your Indonesian grandfather a Muslim, HK?
No. That side of the family comes from North Sulawesi, which is one of the only regions of Indonesia that has a majority-Christian population. It was an area that was heavily affected by Dutch missionary activity... although as a whole, the Dutch were certainly nowhere near as missionary-oriented as the Spanish or Portuguese, and so Indonesia is now the world's largest Muslim country. At any rate, my grandfather's second language was Dutch.
Ah, the famous Celebes. That island was reached first by Portuguese explorers but I'm not sure they established a permanent mission there like they did in Timor, Flores or Solor.
Your grandfather was Dutch Reformed, then. Did that heritage pass on to the rest of the family in any way?
He was really Seventh-day Adventist (which will probably ring a bell now that I mention it), but Adventist missionaries found the mostly Protestant Sulawesi/Celebes much more... hospitable than the rest of the archipelago.
I look forward to visiting Sulawesi some day. I've only been to Java and Bali.
Quote from: The Harlequin King on September 03, 2020, 04:34:32 PM
He was really Seventh-day Adventist (which will probably ring a bell now that I mention it), but Adventist missionaries found the mostly Protestant Sulawesi/Celebes much more... hospitable than the rest of the archipelago.
I look forward to visiting Sulawesi some day. I've only been to Java and Bali.
Yes, Seventh-day Adventist. I remember now.
I gather Indonesia is a beautiful archipelago. I hope you'll get the chance to visit it someday.
My grandfather was one of the first SeaBees: an electrician in the Naval Construction Battalions(CB) in the Pacific.
One grandfather was in a country not that involved in the war. The other was set to be deployed (Okinawa I think) but received a concussion prior to the invasion. Lucky.
Quote from: Heinrich on September 03, 2020, 05:13:00 PM
My grandfather was one of the first SeaBees: an electrician in the Naval Construction Battalions(CB) in the Pacific.
My maternal grandfather was also with the SeaBees. His medals have been passed down to me.
In 1939 when the war broke out my father enlisted with the First Battalion Lanark & Renfrew Regiment. He was 27 years old at the time and had been working for the Canadian National Railway since he was 15. With 12 years experience on the railroad he was asked to join the engineering division, building bridges and running the railroads in Europe. A bridge he was working on was blown up which resulted in him having a back problem the rest of his life. At one point he was one of two dispatchers assigned to a small railway station, where on moonlit nights German troop movement could be seen in the area.
My aunt Helena's husband didn't come home from the war. She didn't remarry and just died a couple of years ago at the age of 95.
My grandma (Helen) helped fight with the guerrillas in the Philippines during World War 2. My younger brother was able to find this on the Internet.
http://www.johnsheaodonnell.com/CulturalBridgeProductions/phwwii3.htm (http://www.johnsheaodonnell.com/CulturalBridgeProductions/phwwii3.htm)
QuoteLater we learned more of what had happened before the Japanese retreated for good. There were three German-American sisters: Agnes, Helen, and Mary living in Los Baños who happened to be relatives of our next door neighbors at Fort McKinnley. Their brother was in the navy. They had been able to avoid being placed in the concentration camp at the University only because they convinced the Japanese they were of German descent (remember the Germans were allied with the Japanese). When the Americans were already in Calamba, and the Japanese began rounding up everyone at Bayan, Agnes, who had blond hair, was caught trying to escape. Thirteen men raped her and then cut her to pieces...Agnes's sister, Helen was the one who led the Americans into Los Baños.
Needless to say, she didn't much care for the Japanese. She said she knew MacArthur. You can read about the Los Baños raid here. Pretty cool story.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Los_Ba%C3%B1osQuoteThe Raid on Los Baños in the Philippines, early Friday morning on 23 February 1945, was executed by a combined U.S. Army Airborne and Filipino guerrilla task force, resulting in the liberation of 2,147 Allied civilian and military internees from an agricultural school campus turned Japanese internment camp. The 250 Japanese in the garrison were killed. It has been celebrated as one of the most successful rescue operations in modern military history.
My Grandfather was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army, worked at the Pentagon as a commissioned officer because he was a chemist. He did something interesting with gunpowder and logistics.
I new an old lad that worked on the Manhattan Project. He was a chemist for DuPont Canada. Apparently they were assigned to certain parts of the project and weren't informed what the overall project was.
Both my granfathers were too old to fight in W.W.II; but my maternal grandmother volunteered for the civil defense; her job was (I kid you not) to take a pail of sand and a hand trowel and in case of the Japanese bombing Oakland, to help to put out any fires that might result from said bombing. She was also issued a C.D. Helmet.
Complicated familial history : so bear with me.
Paternal side : originally from Germany, migrated to Ireland via England in 1890
Maternal side : British.
I have second cousins in Germany who served in the Heer, Wehrmacht.
Three of them served, two on the Ostfront and one on the Western front.
Of the two who served on the Ostfront only one survived the war.
What is very disconcerting is that their cousins (inlaws) served in the SS. I meet these guys once. Even with these guys in the 80's,
these lads were self confessed full paid up Nazi's with lots of innocent blood on their hands, with not one ounce of remorse. They were
Einstazruppen.
British inlaws : none of them served because they worked in reserved occupations (essential work) and were exempt for military service.
Grandfather on one side was a builder, so built some houses and premises, although materials became scarce. Rented out a few when he didn't sell them. Also a farmer, tillage and dairy. He died soon after, only in his fifties, cancer I think. His family were issued with a lot of gas masks, which turned out not to be a necessary precaution as Herr Hitler had a horror of poison gas warfare. The other grandfather had some railway work, to supplement his small small farm income, mostly dismantling a line, rather than building one. Ireland in both cases. I think another was in the UK merchant marine, survived.
My father was an airplane navigator in the U.S. Army. My mother was in the U. S. Women's Army Air Corp and worked as a chaplain's assistant. Her brother was a pilot in the U. S Army Air Corp.
My dad's two brothers were also in the army and one was a P.O.W. for over a year.
Interesting story. My parents were married during W.W.II. My paternal grandmother had the military flag in her window with four blue stars on it because her 3 sons and my mom were in service. Some people gave my grandmother a hard time about that 4th star, but grandma figured that if my mom carried the family name she, my grandmother, was entitled to claim her ( my mom) as a family member in the service.
edited to add: My father-in-law and his brother also served in the Army during WW II.
My Uncle William was a member of the 1st Special Service Force–the forerunner of America's Green Berets. He fought and was wounded in Italy. My Grandmother saw him being wounded on a mountain in a dream the very day he was wounded on a mountain.
My other Uncle, Mannford, was on a troop ship heading across the Pacific for the invasion of Japan when the war ended.
My grandmother had two stars in her window.
My father was working for a telephone company so did not actively participate in the war.
My Dad was in the Philippines and New Guinea. He was IN THE BAND of all things, and he was a clerk.
His clarinet "kept him from holding a rifle".
Mom was busy working at Ralston-Purina as a food scientist.
My grandparents were in their 40's, too old to fight and anyway both my grandfathers worked in essential industries, one in a steel mill and the other as a farmer. Their wives stayed home with the kids.
My dad joined the Army Air Corps in 1944 as soon as he turned 17. He was trained as a medic and ambulance driver but was never near the front lines. He served for a total of six years, getting out in 1947 and going back in for Korea. He made sergeant, and was even a drill sergeant for a while, which is impossible for me to imagine. My mother yes, she was perfect for that job, but not my dad. My mom was still in school during the war, graduating in 1950. Both of her brothers saw action overseas though.
One grandfather was a US Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Joe Kennedy, Jr., who later died in action, was in his flight training class.
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My other grandfather enlisted in US Marines as a private at age 17 around the beginning of WW2. He served throughout the Pacific during the war, was wounded at Okinawa, and received a purple heart. After his discharge from the Marines towards the end of the war, he enlisted in the US Army and served in the Occupation of Europe. Later on, he went to Korea.
(https://ibb.co/1JGfNcJ)
Quote from: JackMorgan on January 31, 2021, 04:18:44 PM
One grandfather was a US Navy fighter pilot in the Pacific. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Joe Kennedy, Jr., who later died in action, was in his flight training class.
(http://p<img%20src=)
My other grandfather enlisted in US Marines as a private at age 17 around the beginning of WW2. He served throughout the Pacific during the war, was wounded at Okinawa, and received a purple heart. After his discharge from the Marines towards the end of the war, he enlisted in the US Army and served in the Occupation of Europe. Later on, he went to Korea.
(https://ibb.co/1JGfNcJ)
Was your Gfather at Midway or any of the other early battles?
My maternal grandpa trained dogs in the Marines, my paternal grandpa trained bombardiers on the norden bombsight. My paternal granduncle was in North Africa and Italy, a combat engineer, who came home with the bronze and silver star. He never talked about it, nobody asked. We only learned what my paternal grandpa did the year before he lost his memory, it was just an accidental part of his story about being late for a train or something. My general impression from the veterans I met was they didn't want to talk about it. Not even reminisce about people or places. However, my maternal grandpa did like talking about the photos he brought home from the islands. I think it must have been exciting to a boy from Irvine, Kentucky and he loved telling stories in general.
My dear friend's grandfather flew the P51 Mustang in Europe. He said their mission on June 6, 1944 was to engage the Luftwaffe with explicit orders NOT to engage the ground theatre. By that time the Luftwaffe had maybe six planes and two pilots, but the Allies didn't know that.
One worked for the State Dept at a satélite installation in Alaska.
Another was a soldier who was subjected to the Bataan Death March.
Grand uncle was a Hurricane pilot - shot down during the Battle of Britain. Visited his grave on the IoW, and remnants of his plane are in a museum in Kent - still planning on visiting
A cousin of some degree (Was a great grand-child of my great great great Grandfather [I think]) was a Lancaster pilot - died over Hamburg.
Another distant cousin moved to Australia and worked for the RAAF.
The way the ages in my family are timed a lot of people missed the war for being either too old or too young...my Grandfather tried signing up, but he was only 13 or 14...so instead, during the Blitz, they had him ride around London on his bike and report where the bombs had landed/where the fires where.
Quote from: LausTibiChriste on December 24, 2023, 04:45:41 PMGrand uncle was a Hurricane pilot - shot down during the Battle of Britain. Visited his grave on the IoW, and remnants of his plane are in a museum in Kent - still planning on visiting
A cousin of some degree (Was a great grand-child of my great great great Grandfather [I think]) was a Lancaster pilot - died over Hamburg.
Another distant cousin moved to Australia and worked for the RAAF.
The way the ages in my family are timed a lot of people missed the war for being either too old or too young...my Grandfather tried signing up, but he was only 13 or 14...so instead, during the Blitz, they had him ride around London on his bike and report where the bombs had landed/where the fires where.
I'll bet he cussed the whole shift.
Uncle: Bomber command (Navigator in Halifax Bomber), got shot down, bailed out and survived but POW (treated well by German nuns).
Maternal Grandad: Navy Commander (He was deployed on HMS Hood (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hood) but fortunately transferred approx. 3 months before it was sunk by the Bismarck). He spent a large part of the 2nd World War in Aden, Yemen (HMS Sheba).
Paternal Grandad: 1st World War (Passchendaele, loads of others but not the Somme I think). Fought the Turks in Palestine. Marched into Jerusalem under General Allenby
(Wow, that must have been amazing!). He brought back a crucifix from Jerusalem.
I think he may have been to Megiddo also. That's interesting because:
In Christian apocalyptic literature, Mount Megiddo, the hill overlooking the valley where the current kibbutz is located, is identified as the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil at the end of time, known as Armageddon and mentioned in the New Testament in Revelation 16:16.-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megiddo,_Israel
@Frank can probably correct the stuff I have wrong.
(I'm also not sure about Uncle Bob - think Navy also but not sure).
Great Uncle, Fr. Joseph Coakley, Army Chaplain during W.W.II or family credits him with the saying: "There are no atheists in foxholes".
Father was shot down over Germany, POW for two years. When the Russians "liberated" Germany and the POW camps, they used shock troops (my father said they were Kulaks or Kasoks or something like that). They were accompanied by huge trucks like cement trucks that had 2 types: stew and vodka. He said these shock troops were so violent that the German women were banging on the doors of the POW camps begging to be allowed in. The prison camp staff all fled on foot.
Yes, the Soviets were notorious for employing semi-barbarous Asiatics in the Red Army