Any Family in WWII?

Two great uncles were on WWII.

One was a major in the Army. He was in North Africa and Kasserine pass. He later went into Omaha on D-Day on the third wave. He would talk about all his experiences in the ETO, except for D-Day. He'd get too chocked up about it to talk about it. He was promoted to Lt. Col., at 26 years old. His unit 'liberated' a Cognac distillery toward the end. They loaded up a giant cask of it into a deuce and half with strict orders that no one was to touch it until victory was declared. They made it into Czechoslovakia by VE day. The first night, all the enlisted were told they could hit that barrel of cognac. No officers. Second night, they officers had their fill of cognac.

When I had just graduated high school, he invited me to have lunch with some veterans he served with in the war. When he stepped to the restroom,  these 4 men told me some things he had done in the war that I didn't know and what a great CO he was. It was only then they told me they had been enlisted under him.

Another great uncle was an Army Captain in N. Africa, Anzio, and D-Day. At Anzio, the men on either side were killed going ashore. Later, he realized he had holes on either side of his field jacket but no wounds. Later on, he was up towards the Ruhr and said the Germans had so much ammo that they would open up on small units or individuals with 88's. He was running across a field when they opened up on him with an 88. As he jumped into a shell hole, a round exploded below him, blowing him up to the lip of the shell hole..still full stride. Once, while in France he had come under fire again. Jumping into a shell hole, he was face to face with two brits brewing tea. Tea, mate?!? Tea!! He was floored by that! Lots of other stories. I am glad to have known those men. The greatest generation.

Happy memorial day, all!

My father was in the army.He was in Trinidad when his father died in a farm accident.So my father was discharged so he could return home and run the family farm.

My fathers brother Ralph survived the Bataan death march only to die of beriberi as a POW in japan.

His brother Ross drove Shermans in the 20th AD.When I was growing up I was told by my perants not to talk to him about the war so I don't know very much about his service.

My mothers mom worked at a ship yard building Liberty ships.

My dad's father joined the Navy in 1943 (I think). He'd tried to enlist earlier, but kept getting knocked back because of his age — mid 30s — and his work in war-essential industry — ship building in Houston. He was assigned to the Sea Bees and served in the Pacific. I'm unsure of which unit, but have some photos of him on several islands. I understand he was wounded, possibly on Okinawa, and returned to the States. He died several years before I was born ab=nd was apparently reticent to talk much about the war with his sons.

My mother's father was also older and spent the war working for US Steel in Chicago.

stikpusher

I think that his being in the 36th was more likely to keep him out of Normandy than his being wounded. At the time of the Normandy landings and Campaign, the 36th was still fighting hard in Italy. they had just helped in the capture of Rome. That Division, like many others that fought alongside the 36th in North Africa, thru Sicily, up Italy and across to Southern France, had long hard war. But I had never heard of them being at the Bulge before. Unless he was shanghaied into another unit after being wounded. The 7th Army, which the 36th fought under in France, was a long was from the Ardennes battle area,

Even after the landings in Southern France, there were two Theaters of War in Western Europe. The European Theater under Ike, and the Mediterranean Theater under Alexander. This applied to the air war as well. While they eventually did co ordinate their campaigns and actions in Summer 1944, for the most part they were very much separate campaigns. And yes resources were stripped from the Med to send to Northern France to support the "primary" campaign there.

Stik- on a side note it's interesting that D-Day history tends to focus on Northern France.

My F-in-Law's nightfighter squadron  by that time was doing daytime fighter bombing missions in Italy. They spent May 1944 bombing the crap out of the Germans all over southern Europe, to keep their heads down. It would be an interesting read to see what the "global" Overlord strategy was.

I think that his being in the 36th was more likely to keep him out of Normandy than his being wounded. At the time of the Normandy landings and Campaign, the 36th was still fighting hard in Italy. they had just helped in the capture of Rome. That Division, like many others that fought alongside the 36th in North Africa, thru Sicily, up Italy and across to Southern France, had long hard war. But I had never heard of them being at the Bulge before. Unless he was shanghaied into another unit after being wounded. The 7th Army, which the 36th fought under in France, was a long was from the Ardennes battle area,

My late father-in-law was with the 36th Texas and fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Southern France, Belgium (the Bulge) and was present at the liberation of one of the concentration camps. He was wounded three times, one of which kept him from landing in Normandy, He enlisted at 16 and in the picture below, he's the young (17 years old) corporal about to land in Oran, Algeria in November 1942. The Insert was taken at his son's wedding in 2006.

My uncle Sylvester was in the infantry and went to Hitler's Eagle's nest in Berchtesgaten. He stole/brought back some silver drinking chalices with the German swastika and eagle seal on them and gave them to my mother.

Years later she sold them, cheap, to some war collector because she came to believe them as "evil" because of their history. I could have died when I found out. I about put my palm right through my face!

Couple of my other relatives fought too, but I don't know much about it.

My Dads Dad ("Opa") joined the Navy in 1940. He stayed stateside throughout the war. He was a radio op. on TBF Avengers, based in Jacksonville Florida...sub patrol. He was later transferred to Cali. and was a radio op. in PBY's. He was initially supposed to be a gunner, but he screwed around too much and got booted out of gunnery school...as the story goes...one day, in class, he was screwing off while the instructor was putting up recognition silhouettes...instructor said ..."Alright Backlund, you've got one chance, I'm going to put up one more silhouette...if you get this wrong, you're outta here"! He put up a silhouette of a PBY (very recognizable!)..."Opa" says..."Why Sir...that's a Jap Battleship"!!! Immediate transfer to radio class!

On my moms side...My gramma had gone back to Poland in the 80's to find her remaining family (She was sent here in 1923, at 13 yrs old...put on a boat by herself!). She found two of her brothers. They had been taken and used as slave labor. Both were brick masons...at the time, they did not know exactly what they were building, and didn't find out until after the war, that they had built the ovens/incinerators/gas chambers at several concentration/death camps. Both brothers had a very hard time dealing with the knowledge of what they were forced to build and became hardcore alcoholics...a third brother(also a brick mason), that she didn't even know existed (born after she was here), had taken his own life, shortly after the war. Just couldn't deal with knowing so many lives were ended in things he had built, even though he had no choice.

My parents  were underage during the war, and my dad had not yet migrated to the US. He would do that during Korea and be drafted into the Army in 1953. Although my mom did see what is now known as the "great Los Angeles Air Raid", which the comedy movie "1941" is very loosely based upon... She had an older friend from her neighborhood that she told me about who joined the paratroopers and ended up as instructor at Jump School. He wanted to go fight and eventually got himself intentionally into trouble so he would be sent overseas and into combat, where he was killed in action. Needless to say, mom was not too keen on my becoming a paratrooper myself.

My uncle, being older than my mother had enlisted in the CA National Guard at 17 with my Grandmothers consent in the 1930s, but was medically discharged before the war due to injuries he sustained. He spent the war working at the North American plant in Inglewood. Several of my cousins did similar war work with either local industries or on the bases here. My wife's family is more directly involved. Her paternal grandfather served in the 45th Division and fought thru the whole war with them as an artilleryman. He made four assault landings: Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and Southern France, and it was my privilege to know such a man later in life. My wife's maternal Grandfather was a civilian engineer with the Navy and later a Seabee. He was at Pearl Harbor during the attack and my wife's mother was born there on 9/11/41 (talk about a bit of irony in her life). Her Great Uncle (brother to her maternal grandmother) was also present there on December 7th with a USAAF Bomb Group assigned to Hickam Field. He would later serve in the South West Pacific during the war with that same Bomb Group. Then there is my wife's step father, who served in the Navy as a musician/band leader during WWII. Another great gentleman of that generation that I had the honor of knowing. The man who walked my wife down the aisle at our wedding was a friend of his and WWII F6F pilot. The jeweler who made her wedding ring was a former F4U pilot who served in VMF-214.

They are all gone now.

It is very interesting to hear other's stories and family history.  I need to get a family tree going before its too late and things and info (Grandma know a ton, shes 84) is lost...

This is a very interesting tread so here is my story.

Granddad was a retired cavalry colonel in 1940 and an owner of a hotel. When the Italian army entered the town, their commander, colonel Rosario (I think that was his name) approached him and since grandpa was by descent from a country that was cooperating with Germans, and told him that they are allies he is sure that his officers will be welcomed in grandpa's hotel. Grandpa told him that  he and Mussolini and Hitler are bloody fascists and to beat it. Hearing this, the colonel hit grandpa with a horse whip. Grandpa told him that this is a mortal insult for an officer and gentlemen and in front of his fellow officers challenged him for a gun duel!

Later that day the colonel sent his assistant to apologize to grandpa but he wasn't at home and grandma told the assistant to get lost and to the colonel to grow a pair. She was a tough cookie.

The next day the colonel didn't show up but the military police did and grandpa was sent to Italy to prison. He was quite an artist so he started to draw portraits of other prisoners, then the staff and eventually the word got out and the local priest ask him to paint the local church.

In 1977 we visited the churches in L'Aquila and the paintings were still there. Grandpa returned in 1945. Along the way he found a newspaper article where it was noted that colonel Rosario died a heroic death on Eastern front (where he was most likely sent as a punishment for cowardice when grandpa challenged him) etc etc.

At the end, grandpa got his satisfaction.

Grandfather in law was flying Lancasters and on my in-law side we lost a relative at Dunkerque but that is all I know.

Cheers....

I had a cousin who was killed in the Battle of the Bulge on mom's side.  Dad's older brother was on a ship headed to Japan when the war ended, and I believe he served some time in the occupation force before coming home.  My guitar teacher was a bombardier on a B-17 that was shot down and ended up spending time as a POW in Germany.  Dad joined the guard as Korea was heating up and ended up going over there and fought as a mortar man near Jane Russell Hill in 1951 and 1952.

For those who want to find out more about their relatives, the different branches of the military often have records that are searchable online.  Many of the units will have their own sites as well.  For example, I was able to track down my guitar teachers plane and found a picture of him with the crew in front of the nose art.  So if you can find the unit your relative was with, sometimes by referencing the battle they fought in, you might be able to find some information and some of your relative's friends form that time.  Good luck.

John

My father, (15 years now since his passing), saw both sides.  A native of what is present day Slovenia, he was conscripted at age 18 by the German army, and was sent to the Russian front in 1943.  On the third day in the Crimea area, he was wounded in the ankle. 

Several months of convalescing, the following summer he was sent to the Italian front.  One night he and another friend crossed to the British side to surrender.   A couple weeks as POW's, they were given British uniforms and finished the war on the Allied side.  He was posted to an airfield as a sentry.  A couple places I do recall him mentioning is Ravenna and Brindisi. 

regards,

Jack

The husband of my grandmother's sister (I guess that would make him my great uncle, although we just referred to him as Uncle Tom) served in the Pacific. He had a Japanese officer's sword as a souvenir, but they moved up to a remote area in far Northern California before I was old enough to ask him anything about his service. I don't even know what branch of the service he was in, although I assume it was Army as he and my grandfather got along great and gramps-- a sergeant in the Army in the Philippines before the War-- never liked Marines. Tom was a welder in civilian life and just one of the softest spoken, nicest guys you'd ever care to meet.  

My Grandfather was a Dunkirk as an ambulance driver, drove his ambulance into the see so the other men could use it to climb onto boats more easily. He lost a finger there so couldn't fight on but did join the home defence guard and drove ambulances at night after a full days work!

On a more unusual note I had an uncle by marriage who was in the Hitler Youth (would have loved to have been there when he got introduced to my Grandfather!!) He fought on the easter front!! Only story he ever told me was when they realised it was all over he and a friend decided to just go home. They got to about 50 miles from home and saw a Sherman. They tried to surrender but the crew opened fire and cut his friend in half, my uncle just ran after that till he got home.

Phil

My uncle served in the Pacific with an air unit.  Unfortunately, I have no further information as he never told any family members of where he was or what he was doing.  I do know he was not a pilot, maybe a maintenance guy, or maybe a gunner.  We did have a photo of him standing by the nose of an aircraft , maybe a B-25, with a painting of Donald Duck on the nose, throwing a bomb.  Sorry I don't know more about it.  He must have seen some horrible things, which made him want to forget everything.  He died a few years ago in his early 90's, and his memories are gone forever.

My father was in the Dieppe raid, (1942)  where he earned a metal for taking  out a machine gun nest.  He got back to England that day. (only a 1/4 of those that landed did).  Fought across Northern Europe, '44-'45, never wounded.

My mother and her family were in the Dutch underground.  Her father was caught and sent to a labour camp in France to work on the Atlantic wall.  He escaped, stole a bicycle, and rode it back to the Netherlands.  They lived in southern Holland and were liberated in the fall of 1944.  My father was billeted to their house.  Which is how they met.

My dad's brother served with the 1st Canadian Div. in Italy.

My dad's uncle was in the Army and arrived in France on the first day of the Battle of the Bulge, when he was quickly pulled out of the replacement depot into the infantry and was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and was wounded twice.  I know he had a finger shot off and shrapnel in him until he passed away a few years ago.  While recovering in England, he and another guy managed to sneak out of the hospital to celebrate being put on the list to go home.  While they were drinking their doctors came in and decided that if they were well enough to pull a stunt like that, they were well enough to stay.  After that he was played trombone in Eisenhower's band.  He never really talked too much about it to anyone, except when I came back from Iraq.  We had a good long conversation over a few beers and I just absorbed as much as I could, because I knew he didn't talk about it and suffered from PTSD because of the war.

My great-grandfather joined the Michigan State Troops after the National Guard was nationalized and went to Detroit in 1943 to help with the riot.  Afterwards he enlisted in the Army and was an instructor for fine instrument repair (he was a jeweler and watch repairman in the civilian world) before he shipped out to France.  He came ashore at Utah Beach a week after D-Day and was followed along behind the lines until Paris was liberated.  They weren't sure what to do with him as he was the ripe old age of 35, so he was assigned to a PX where he was able to go to Paris every weekend to try and acquire spare watch parts and during the week he would fix watches for the GIs.

Another great-grandfather was 4F due to a heart condition, so he moved the family from Cadillac, Michigan to Ypsilanti to paint the insides of B-24s at Willow Run.

My grandmother's uncle served in the Navy during the war in the Pacific on a supply ship, but I don't know much more than that other than they were strafed by Japanese fighters a few times.

My mother's brothers were both in the navy.  One was a Submariner and the other was an officer in the Merchant Marines.  The one in the MM had 2 ships blown out from under him.  

Both of these uncles were the ones responsible for getting me interested in modelling at the age of 6 (1946).  They were both builders of ship models and built scratch models of their ships.  They bought everything we needed to build models as my parents thought that it was a waste of time and money. I think of them every time I walk into my workroom.

Jim 

My uncle from my father´s side was at war. He died in -42. I wrote his story to 1939-1940 grop build topic: http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/161378.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=14  You can find my post from end of that page.

Also my grandfather from my mother´s side was at war. I think he was machine gunner at army. He got injured, but survived the war. He died mid 70´s and if I remember right shrapnel in his leg caused that.

Only thing what he told about the war to his kids was, that in wintertime when bullets hit the enemy you could see steam coming out. Nice bedtime story for kids...

Great uncles, on my mother's side of the family, and uncle, on my dad's side.

On Mom's side...

My uncles Jimmy and Bernie Tognoli were in the Navy, both Seabees, in the Pacific.  They were steelworkers, and I think that was a big reason they were assigned to construction

My Uncle Cajetan Fonzone was in the Army Air Force, tried for pilot training, but washed out when it was found he was a sleepwalker.  He was trained then as an electrical engineer and was in the 20th Air Force in the Pacific

My uncles Eddie Tognoli, Mike Fonzone and Nicky Fonzone served, too, but I'm not sure which branch of the services.  I think they were all in the Army, in Eurpoe

My Uncle Kermit Trout lied about his age to enlist in 1942 (he was just a little younger than his friends, and he wanted to go when they enlisted).  After boot camp, he was going to be assigned as a medic, but he asked his company CO if he could join a rifle company instead, because, as he put it, he couldn't stand the sight of blood.  I don't know his unit, but he was in the second wave at Omaha, and eventually wound up in the 3rd Army, and survived the whole campaign, ending up in a town in Bavaria, where he shinnied out on a flag pole from a window to cut down a swastika flag as a souvenir.  He was wounded twice and received the Purple Heart twice, and was awarded 2 Bronze Stars and a Silver Star.  Those details, we didn't generally know, because he never mentioned them.  It wasn't till he passed away, that I learned of the awards.  Uncle Kermit liked to tell about things he remembered as funny.

On Dad's side, his older brother, my Uncle Bill, turned 18 in 1945, and was drafted out of high school and into the Navy.  He was a Seabee, too, and worked on building the runways at the airfields in the Marianas.

I know extremely little. I had a great Uncle who was a gunner on Bofor's guns. Apparently he spent most of the war stationed in the Shetlands and hardly saw a German. His brother, my grandfather, was an ARP Warden in Norwich, no idea why he didn't serve in the forces.

Paternal Grandfather was Navy/OSS, Maternal Grandfather served in Army through 1942, then was an engine installer for Boeing (B-17, then B-29) through the rest of the conflict.

Neither ever chose to speak of the actual combat times, only heard limited talk of the Boeing time.

Father-in-law in the AAF 1941- 1945. Two bronze Stars. His brother also in the Army, in Italy.

Great Uncle Chris in Army Intelligence 1943-1945. Great Uncle Bill blown out of a water tower observation post and captured in France.

My wife's mother had 10 siblings, all of whom served or contributed to the war effort in one way or another.