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re: Relatives that served in World War 2
Posted on 12/8/23 at 9:49 pm to jbird7
Posted on 12/8/23 at 9:49 pm to jbird7
Daddy served in the navy, but never saw combat. Had one uncle killed on the Juneau when it was sunk in the Solomons. Another Uncle was in the navy and served on a liberty ship in the PTO. A third uncle enlisted in the army in November of 1940 and was attached to the British 8th army in Africa when Pearl Harbor was attacked and later transferred back to U.S. Army forces. He served 5 years of infantry combat from North Africa, through Italy, and on to Germany. He never got a scratch through all that combat, he told me. He wouldn't talk much about what he saw, but when he returned home, he didn't go into town for 20 years. Said he had seen too many towns bombed to oblivion and destroyed and didn't want to see any more towns. He went back to the family farm and took up fox, coon, and deer hunting with dogs for those 20 years.
0
Posted on 12/8/23 at 10:31 pm to MsandLa
A B52 ??????
Check on that.
Check on that.
Posted on 12/9/23 at 1:28 am to Diseasefreeforall
My father was in the Army Air Corps. He was grounded half way through pilot training school because his sinuses blocked at high altitude. So he was then trained to repair and calibrate the radar and radio sets on the B-29s. Was sent to Saipan, Guam and Tinian.
He was on Tinian when the war ended. A couple of days later, all base personnel were collected and addressed by one of the commanders. He announced that they would all be transferred back to the US West Coast very soon. Everyone looked at each other and then one brave soul stood up and asked the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Sir, what transport will we be using?”
The Commander replied that everyone would be given the choice of flying back in the returning B-29’s or they could be transported via troop ships. But troop ships would take over three weeks to complete the voyage. As every man there knew those planes were worn out from too many 14-hr missions with full bomb and fuel loads, the choice to take the troop ship was easy.
___
My uncle was a Merchant Marine captain during WW2. He was torpedoed twice, the first time off Iceland in December. The entire crew survived as they were picked up by an escort vessel. The second time was in the Florida Straits in 1942. The surviving crew got into the four lifeboats but the lifeboats were separated the next night.
A few days later a sub chaser locates my uncle's lifeboat and takes them to Havana. The next day the Port Captain orders my uncle to a meeting. At the meeting, my uncle is given the keys to a car and introduced to a Cuban police officer who will act as his driver. My uncle's orders were to go and find his crew and bring them back to Havana.
My uncle protested that he had no idea where his crew were. The Port Captain told him not to worry, the driver knew where they were. The driver proceeds to take my uncle to every town and village on the northeastern coast of Cuba and search every whore house in each town.
Sure enough, that's where all the crew were hiding. As they were all in the Seamen's International Union and got extra combat pay whenever they were out of port jurisdiction, they all just sailed and rowed ashore and shacked up with the girls for as long as they could. They were making the big money every day they were out and certainly weren't going to get torpedoed. It took my uncle over six weeks but he got them all back.
However, as he was married before the war started, he kept this entire episode to himself until the 1980's, when one night at a family party the passage of time and a few young Scotches got the better of him and he told the story. His wife - my aunt - did exactly as he had feared all those years. He tried to tell her that he had not done anything wrong but she blew up and didn't talk to him for a week. I can still hear her yelling, "Goddamn it Frank, don't you lie to me. I KNOW what happened in those places!"
___
My grandmother’s brother-in-law was a captain of one of the cargo ships in PQ-17. His ship was torpedoed in the Barents Sea but the surviving crew was picked up by another cargo ship. Then it got torpedoed as well and both crews were in the lifeboats until they came ashore on a large island to the east. The Russians came and got them and they finally made it back to England a couple of months later.
___
Another uncle was a pilot in the Pacific on the Navy’s version of the B-24 and my mother’s cousin was killed at Bizory during the Bulge. He was in the 501st PIR of the 101st AD. My ex-wife's uncle was killed in Vidouville in Normandy. He was in an M3 Light Tank of the 102nd Mech. Cavalry.
___
Finally, I had two relatives that fought for the other side in Europe. They both survived the war because they were both captured by US troops. One in Italy and one in Austria. The one in Italy was in the 16th SS Division and the one in Austria was only in the army three months when captured. So he was in a replacement unit and was never assigned a permanent regiment. He was only 17 at the time and the war ended a month after he was captured. They were both very lucky and knew it.
He was on Tinian when the war ended. A couple of days later, all base personnel were collected and addressed by one of the commanders. He announced that they would all be transferred back to the US West Coast very soon. Everyone looked at each other and then one brave soul stood up and asked the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Sir, what transport will we be using?”
The Commander replied that everyone would be given the choice of flying back in the returning B-29’s or they could be transported via troop ships. But troop ships would take over three weeks to complete the voyage. As every man there knew those planes were worn out from too many 14-hr missions with full bomb and fuel loads, the choice to take the troop ship was easy.
___
My uncle was a Merchant Marine captain during WW2. He was torpedoed twice, the first time off Iceland in December. The entire crew survived as they were picked up by an escort vessel. The second time was in the Florida Straits in 1942. The surviving crew got into the four lifeboats but the lifeboats were separated the next night.
A few days later a sub chaser locates my uncle's lifeboat and takes them to Havana. The next day the Port Captain orders my uncle to a meeting. At the meeting, my uncle is given the keys to a car and introduced to a Cuban police officer who will act as his driver. My uncle's orders were to go and find his crew and bring them back to Havana.
My uncle protested that he had no idea where his crew were. The Port Captain told him not to worry, the driver knew where they were. The driver proceeds to take my uncle to every town and village on the northeastern coast of Cuba and search every whore house in each town.
Sure enough, that's where all the crew were hiding. As they were all in the Seamen's International Union and got extra combat pay whenever they were out of port jurisdiction, they all just sailed and rowed ashore and shacked up with the girls for as long as they could. They were making the big money every day they were out and certainly weren't going to get torpedoed. It took my uncle over six weeks but he got them all back.
However, as he was married before the war started, he kept this entire episode to himself until the 1980's, when one night at a family party the passage of time and a few young Scotches got the better of him and he told the story. His wife - my aunt - did exactly as he had feared all those years. He tried to tell her that he had not done anything wrong but she blew up and didn't talk to him for a week. I can still hear her yelling, "Goddamn it Frank, don't you lie to me. I KNOW what happened in those places!"
___
My grandmother’s brother-in-law was a captain of one of the cargo ships in PQ-17. His ship was torpedoed in the Barents Sea but the surviving crew was picked up by another cargo ship. Then it got torpedoed as well and both crews were in the lifeboats until they came ashore on a large island to the east. The Russians came and got them and they finally made it back to England a couple of months later.
___
Another uncle was a pilot in the Pacific on the Navy’s version of the B-24 and my mother’s cousin was killed at Bizory during the Bulge. He was in the 501st PIR of the 101st AD. My ex-wife's uncle was killed in Vidouville in Normandy. He was in an M3 Light Tank of the 102nd Mech. Cavalry.
___
Finally, I had two relatives that fought for the other side in Europe. They both survived the war because they were both captured by US troops. One in Italy and one in Austria. The one in Italy was in the 16th SS Division and the one in Austria was only in the army three months when captured. So he was in a replacement unit and was never assigned a permanent regiment. He was only 17 at the time and the war ended a month after he was captured. They were both very lucky and knew it.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 9:52 am to Shexter
quote:
He came back to the USA on the Queen Mary. One day, I'll take the kids to Long Beach, California to see it.
I picked this up just 2 days ago. $3...
Some of these stories are amazing... It is a shame that we can't multi quote...
Commanding a Destroyer Escort at 27... Amazing.
Killed on Christmas Eve in Italy.
So many interesting stories..
This post was edited on 12/10/23 at 10:03 am
Posted on 12/10/23 at 10:28 am to Diseasefreeforall
My father, stepfather and great uncle all served in WW 2.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 10:36 am to WWII Collector
My dad was too young for WWII, but his older siblings served in the war.
Apparently, when you enlisted you were interviewed to find out if you had any specialized skills. One uncle worked for a wooden boat builder, so he was assigned to the Navy as a boat carpenter on a transport ship in the Pacific. After an amphibious landing, they would repair any of the landing craft that were shot up. He was discharged at the end of the war, but was recalled for Korea because they needed boat carpenters.
Another uncle had worked for a funeral home, so they assigned him to Graves Registration in Europe.
Another uncle was in the Army Air Corp and spent the war, surprisingly, in Iran and Iraq, he had some kind of clerical job.
Another uncle was on the Missouri. He witnessed the Jap surrender.
Another uncle was a tank commander in the 3rd Armored and saw quite a bit of action. A story I heard him tell was toward the end of the war in the final drive into Germany, they came upon a village where they encountered some light resistance, after they cleared the village of the Germans, they were ordered to remain in the village for some rest, fuel replenishment, and to make some repairs to equipment. He said they settled in for the night, and at daybreak the next morning, the villagers went to work repairing the roof of the village church that was damaged the day before, and the villagers doing other repairs and cleaning the streets of debris. He admired the industrialness of the German citizens. A few days later he was hit by a bullet on the hand that severed three fingers. He was left with a thumb and index finger.
Apparently, when you enlisted you were interviewed to find out if you had any specialized skills. One uncle worked for a wooden boat builder, so he was assigned to the Navy as a boat carpenter on a transport ship in the Pacific. After an amphibious landing, they would repair any of the landing craft that were shot up. He was discharged at the end of the war, but was recalled for Korea because they needed boat carpenters.
Another uncle had worked for a funeral home, so they assigned him to Graves Registration in Europe.
Another uncle was in the Army Air Corp and spent the war, surprisingly, in Iran and Iraq, he had some kind of clerical job.
Another uncle was on the Missouri. He witnessed the Jap surrender.
Another uncle was a tank commander in the 3rd Armored and saw quite a bit of action. A story I heard him tell was toward the end of the war in the final drive into Germany, they came upon a village where they encountered some light resistance, after they cleared the village of the Germans, they were ordered to remain in the village for some rest, fuel replenishment, and to make some repairs to equipment. He said they settled in for the night, and at daybreak the next morning, the villagers went to work repairing the roof of the village church that was damaged the day before, and the villagers doing other repairs and cleaning the streets of debris. He admired the industrialness of the German citizens. A few days later he was hit by a bullet on the hand that severed three fingers. He was left with a thumb and index finger.
Posted on 12/10/23 at 5:42 pm to doublecutter
quote:
Another uncle had worked for a funeral home, so they assigned him to Graves Registration in Europe.
That is interesting there, due to a side project... Do you have any more information?
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