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Relatives that served in WWII

Okay found my grandfather's obituary he received the bronze star.

SIEGEL, JULIUS, 90 of Sunny Isles Beach, passed away Wed., Jan. 25, 2006.
A decorated World War II veteran, he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
 
My Dad was a Flying Tiger, served under General Chenault in and around Kunming, China from mid 42 to 44. Dad was a radio operator in a B-24 Liberator Bomber named the Battiin' b*tch. The plane was so popular and successful there another BBII and still another called the Bitches Sister. The original BB crashed into the Himalayas (somewhat common visibility issues) on one of its first flights when my Dad's crew completed and returned stateside - with no survivors - I was lead to believe it was just weeks after he got home. Dad never told a single battle story, but he shared many memories - positive only with family. Dad also designed his squadron patch (to follow in a different post). When I was collecting information for Dad's funeral, I learned that his squadron was the most accurate bombing squadron of the entire war (both European and Pacific Theater).

Dad had 4 brothers, 2 served (both stateside), my Uncle Morris was logistics/supply officer in Miami Beach (where the family would later settle (after leaving Charlesgon SC and Alexandria VA - and many other towns they were a huge very poor family). Morris made Lt. My Uncle Lou was dentist, just out of Dental school at Georgetown (where he paid for his entire education by hustling pool and golf). They were in need of Dentists so they made him a Bird Colonel! And again, he never left stateside. So Dad, only one to leave the country only made Buck Sargent. Irony is Dad received 3 bronze stars - I never learned why - and of course records destroyed. I remember, when my youngest was born, my Mom and Dad were over to see the baby, I was going out to get Chinese take out. Dad tagged along. The food came and they gave it to us, Dad said (I think) "Chi-Chi-Nee - or Chee-Chee-Nee) which evidently may be Mandarin for Thank you - the two counter men were speechless - asked how Dad knew that - Dad said he was a Flying Tiger - the older counter man said 'You are a living American Hero' Dad just shrugged and thanked him again they spoke was I assume was Mandarin a couple more minutes and we left. I get (as I just did) a tear and shiver every time I mention this story.

My Uncle Murray (married my Mom's Sister) was a sniper in an Artillery unit in the European Theater he too never told a war story, the only death he mentioned was that he shot a pig on a farm along the German/French boarder as his unit had not had any meat in about 2 weeks - so his buddies rousted the pig to run into the area where Murray was waiting. Other than that, Murry singlehandedly captured 2 Germans (the story was they wanted to surrender - but only to Americans) so they surrendered to Murray who was out looking for food and treasure - as many where. Murray told how they could have easily killed him but wanted to surrender to ensure they lived.

Great stories in this thread - thanks everyone for sharing.

Sorry it's blurry, it's death wearing a kimono, dropping a bomb on Japan, there is a sickle inn one hand. And he's wearing a crewman's headset and goggles.
 

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Great idea for a topic.
Both of my grandfathers served during WWII.

My grandfather on my mother's side was a gunner for a bomber in the Army Air Corps. He only told a few stories of their plane being shot up. He ran 40 combat missions in a B24 bomber with the 15th Air Force in Italy and 8th Air Force in England. He mostly talked about the men he served with and their incredible bravery.

My grandfather on my father's side rarely spoke of his experiences during the war until my father asked him to recount those things later in life. My father then did some research and was able to put together some information. He was drafted into the US Army and then went to Southern France and was assigned to the 7th Army, 103rd infantry, then reassigned to Company B, 409th Infantry and went to Germany and while there was reported as MIA, with 17 others, after being cut off from their unit for 3 days. He was then transferred back to the 7th Army 103rd for the Battle of the Bulge and was assigned to a Sherman Tank as ground attack. He then was assigned to the 45th Divisio 179th Infantry Company B where which he received the Thunderbird patch for. There his responsibilities were to guard German SS officer POWs and route out the remaining SS in the mountains. After he passed we found his medals/patches/keepsakes stuffed in a box in the back of a drawer in a shed.

They were both great men who endured alot with the Great Depression and WWII.
One came completed seminary and was a pastor until he retired.
The other had left school when he was 7 to work on a farm to help support his family and had no further formal education. When he returned from the war he owned a furniture store until he retired at 55.
 
Oh my, I forgot my Mom - she was in the Nurse Cadet Corp. But the war ended before she was deployed - she was headed to the Pacific theater too, they were really expecting to have to invade the mainland so they were preparing nurses etc for the expected carnage - glad that did not happen. Another irony as my Dad was Pre-Med student in 1941 at George Washington U in DC, he never finished he was going to be a pediatrician. Anyway, he and a few buddies from the base would go off into the mountains on their free time - to doctor to kids - make sure they were as ok as could be (his base took a lot of bombs and surrounding area did as well). That's how Dad spent the war, flying in a brick of a plane, trying to avoid Chinese pilots (who were supposedly not very good, and the Himalayas, not to mentions Japanese fighters in the sky and bombs on the ground - and in his free time he'd go in search of others who were not as well off and try to fix them. I miss him every day, and think of him every time I play this golf game.
 
Jaw2000 said:
My Dad was a Flying Tiger, served under General Chenault in and around Kunming, China from mid 42 to 44. Dad was a radio operator in a B-24 Liberator Bomber named the Battiin' b*tch. The plane was so popular and successful there another BBII and still another called the Bitches Sister. The original BB crashed into the Himalayas (somewhat common visibility issues) on one of its first flights when my Dad's crew completed and returned stateside - with no survivors - I was lead to believe it was just weeks after he got home. Dad never told a single battle story, but he shared many memories - positive only with family. Dad also designed his squadron patch (to follow in a different post). When I was collecting information for Dad's funeral, I learned that his squadron was the most accurate bombing squadron of the entire war (both European and Pacific Theater).

Dad had 4 brothers, 2 served (both stateside), my Uncle Morris was logistics/supply officer in Miami Beach (where the family would later settle (after leaving Charlesgon SC and Alexandria VA - and many other towns they were a huge very poor family). Morris made Lt. My Uncle Lou was dentist, just out of Dental school at Georgetown (where he paid for his entire education by hustling pool and golf). They were in need of Dentists so they made him a Bird Colonel! And again, he never left stateside. So Dad, only one to leave the country only made Buck Sargent. Irony is Dad received 3 bronze stars - I never learned why - and of course records destroyed. I remember, when my youngest was born, my Mom and Dad were over to see the baby, I was going out to get Chinese take out. Dad tagged along. The food came and they gave it to us, Dad said (I think) "Chi-Chi-Nee - or Chee-Chee-Nee) which evidently may be Mandarin for Thank you - the two counter men were speechless - asked how Dad knew that - Dad said he was a Flying Tiger - the older counter man said 'You are a living American Hero' Dad just shrugged and thanked him again they spoke was I assume was Mandarin a couple more minutes and we left. I get (as I just did) a tear and shiver every time I mention this story.

My Uncle Murray (married my Mom's Sister) was a sniper in an Artillery unit in the European Theater he too never told a war story, the only death he mentioned was that he shot a pig on a farm along the German/French boarder as his unit had not had any meat in about 2 weeks - so his buddies rousted the pig to run into the area where Murray was waiting. Other than that, Murry singlehandedly captured 2 Germans (the story was they wanted to surrender - but only to Americans) so they surrendered to Murray who was out looking for food and treasure - as many where. Murray told how they could have easily killed him but wanted to surrender to ensure they lived.

Great stories in this thread - thanks everyone for sharing.

Sorry it's blurry, it's death wearing a kimono, dropping a bomb on Japan, there is a sickle inn one hand. And he's wearing a crewman's headset and goggles.
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Many conscripted German soldiers surrendered to my grandfather towards the end of the war. On many occasion he said they simply took whatever weapons and intel they had on them and told them to go home or down the road to the nearest occupied town. he said he felt sorry for them. Half starved and no interest in the fight.
 
tomcat said:
While my grandfathers were both stationed stateside during the war, my first wife's great uncle was also a B17 pilot stationed in Italy (Foggia). At the onset of every mission he would pull one of the arming pins on a bomb and write on the tag the date, mission number, and where / what they were going to bomb. He saved all of them, and they made their way down to me. It's a really cool collection.
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My father was stationed in Foggia.
 
MrBlast said:
Many conscripted German soldiers surrendered to my grandfather towards the end of the war. On many occasion he said they simply took whatever weapons and intel they had on them and told them to go home or down the road to the nearest occupied town. he said he felt sorry for them. Half starved and no interest in the fight.
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I had a friend in college who's dad was in th German army at the end of the war, he was 14. He claimed that he got hold of a stack of leather trench coats that he traded for food. So yes constricted soldiers I've heard of them too. I don't think he was in the army for more than a month or so. Tomorrow I'll tell the brief story of Bruno wean Italian met in 1973.
 
One of my grandfather's served in the Army Corps of Engineers building shore battery emplacements to defend the Panama Canal from the Japanese. My wife`s paternal grandfather served in the Pacific with the Seebees building airfields. One of his buddies had his arm ripped out of his shoulder by a crane. My granddaddy-in-law reached inside the wound and squeezed the guy's artery until a medic arrived to take over. His buddy asked him to make sure to get his ring off his hand because his wife would kill him if he came home without it. God bless all who served.
 
Rebel4life said:
One of my grandfather's served in the Army Corps of Engineers building shore battery emplacements to defend the Panama Canal from the Japanese. My wife`s paternal grandfather served in the Pacific with the Seebees building airfields. One of his buddies had his arm ripped out of his shoulder by a crane. My granddaddy-in-law reached inside the wound and squeezed the guy's artery until a medic arrived to take over. His buddy asked him to make sure to get his ring off his hand because his wife would kill him if he came home without it. God bless all who served.
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My same grandfather put in bridge piers on the Al-Can highway before he enlisted in the Army. Every time I see a section of road closed for construction, for 6 months, it makes me crazy! The built the Al-Can highway in less time. Through that terrain.
 
My Grandfather taught VoAg at Ohio State so he was exempt from the draft.

this thread is really spectacular to read. I’m glad so many of you are sharing / honoring your relatives memories.
 
My Dad was a Military Policeman on motorcycle duty in Italy during WWI. My wife’s uncle was a Machinist’s Mate on PT boats in the Mediterranean and the South Pacific. They were both outstanding men and set a standard on duty and integrity that I don’t think we will ever regain. You know your old man was a badass when he had his own Thompson Submachine gun.

FC82EA22-8B28-476B-B392-0623153DB251.jpeg4ED993A3-F710-48FE-882D-BEA7E24F12D4.jpeg
 
My grandfather drove tanks in Africa during WW2. He passed away while I was relatively young, so I never got to speak to him about it. From speaking to my father though, he came back a different man, after seeing and experiencing things that nobody ever should. Whilst I wish that I had a chance to chat with him as an adult, I know that this was something he never wanted to speak about. Obviously coming from a generation when men didn't discuss feelings - stiff upper lip etc.
 
I had two uncles who served in WW2. Both bright young men before the war started, they were expected to be successful men. One served in the artillery at Monte Cassino and saw things he was still having nightmares about twenty years later. The other was a navigator on Wellington bombers, bombing Germany . Both returned from war unscathed physically, but took menial jobs and avoided responsibility at work and never wanted children. PTSD was not heard of then.

My mother was 8 when the war started and was immediately evacuated with her little brother. Put on a train to Wales via London, she and her brother were in a school playground, while local families walked around choosing who to have. The farmers took the bigger lads, while the local pit manager chose mum. She refused to move without her brother, so they prized their hands apart ,leaving her brother on his own and her in tears.

The civilians in UK suffered as well.
 
tomcat said:
Didn't happen to be in the 463rd Bomb Group / 775th Squadron did he?
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He was in the 463rd but I don't know what Squadron. Dad traded some cigarettes for a Concertina and he and a friend who was a singer played for the other guys during their "down time". He brought the concertina home with him. When we were kids Mom and Dad would entertain us kids - Mom singing and Dad playing.
 
Do you know the names of any of the planes he flew?

Also, I have an email address of the 463rd historian who has an amazing amount of info, including planes/dates/missions, etc, if you ever want it.
 
tomcat said:
I have an email address of the 463rd historian who has an amazing amount of info, including planes/dates/missions, etc, if you ever want it.
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And this is why both this forum and this thread are so great.
 
My Grandfather was in WWI, my father was in WWII 405th infantry. Wounded in action and later died of wounds. Three uncles , one Army two navy in WWII. My wife is English, she was evacuated from London as a baby. During WWII the Germans bombed the area and she remembers having to go to bomb shelters. The war was hard on everyone, military and civilian. Very proud of them all.
 
My wife is English, she was evacuated from London as a baby.

Where to?
 
Marlowe, about 65 miles from London. First 6 years of her life was war, after the war no one came to get her. At 9 years the government gave her a birth certificate and the family she stayed with be came her gardians.
 
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So the story of Bruno.

In 1973, my parents took us (my sister and I) on a 5 week tour of Europe and Middle East. We mostly went by train while in Europe and it was glorious - not like Amtrak! Anyway, we are in a compartment going from Rome to I think Florence and it's my family and 2 older (to me) italian gentlemen. My family are talking (in English) and a few minutes into this trip, Bruno asks us in broken English about our trip. Long story short, he was a POW, captured and sent to the USA to work on a farm during the war. He learned English and had not used it since the war (so he said). We chatted the whole ride - hours. he would stop from time to time to catch his friend up. My parents and Bruno shared wallet photos and stories - it was a great time. We exchanged addresses too. And until Bruno died, he sent us a Christmas card every year from 1973 on. They were a highlight of the holidays, always long letters remembrances pictures - and we did the same.

On that, Dad's crew both air and ground exchanged Christmas cards as well, that's how Dad always knew who had passed away, no card that year. Dad was the last survivor of the group - he was really old when he passed - somewhere between 98 and 103 or more - Dad and his family all lied about their ages and none were born in hospitals - so the records were not that great.
 
My dad was in WWII and served in Europe. He was in the Ardennes also. He didn't like to talk about the war much but did mention seeing the German's first jet fighter fly overhead a few times. One story he did tell was that he was driving an ammunition truck (fully loaded) at night during a blackout and he ran over a personnel mine. He thought he was dead right at that minute but got lucky that it was a personnel mine designed to kill a soldier and not a land mine designed to blow up tanks, armored vehicles and transports. He said all that it did was blow off the rear wheel of the truck. He felt very lucky because even that could have touched off the load of ammo he was hauling.
 
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