Did Your Parents Serve In WWII?

Old Salt said:
This supports what I wrote about the Nazis! Have ruthless people in power and good people are turned into killers!
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Old Salt. I think it would be a good idea if you pointed out YOUR service in the Canadian Navy , for those that don't know about it. Having Germanic roots as a child, didn't stop you from joining the RCN, did it ? Of course not. JimB.
 
My late father was born in January of 1926, he turned 18 in January of 1945 his senior year in high school. He was drafted out of school and sent through basic training, it was short in those times, by February he was on a ship going to France. He was in the 97th Infantry Division, Company C (as I recall).

They arrived in France and were promptly transported to the front in Germany. They went into battle in March of 1945 somewhere south of Dusseldorf, Germany. He was part of a 30 cal machine gun team and I recall him telling me that they were engaged in two small battles as they worked their way up towards Dusseldorf. On Apr. 16th he was wounded while approaching a small bridge.

He told me they could hear an incoming artillery shell; he quickly dove off the jeep he was riding on into a steep ditch next to the road. He landed on both feet, breaking his ankles and a few small bones in his feet. Luckily, he was not hit by any shell fragments. Others on his jeep were not so lucky. His injured feet ended up being a ticket home. He as hauled off by the medics to an aid station, treated and sent on to a field hospital in France. He was awarded a purple heart and bronze star and over the rest of his life, he frequently thanked God he survived.

We lost him in 1995, I still miss him every day!
 

Concerning the OP. My father was one of the élite group called the Black Devils that was under the 1st Special Service Force, a joint group of American and Canadian commandos. He served in Italy. The group is considered the main reason the Nazi's didn't take over Italy. They were responsible for taking out the massive Nazi rail guns.

I didn't know anything about his being part of this group until I was contacted a few years ago by a lady that was doing history on this group. My father hated war and wouldn't talk about WW2 or what he did. I would have never known had this researcher not found his name on the groups roster and used the internet to find me.

A few years ago, this group received the Congressional Gold Metal, the highest military metal to be awarded.

History
 
Sorry, @Old Salt as I like you too, but I remain unimpressed. No sympathy for the WWII German people, only their victims and no sob story about how good people got caught up will ever change my mind. Thrilled when I saw how lousy the East Germans lived, just tickled pink. If I had a choice between Germany & Japan getting nuked (not that I wanted it for anyone)I would not have chosen Germany to have been the ones to escape.

The stench of crematoriums will never dissipate.

"To say no to fervent Nazis meant not only that you could lose your life but also that of your family."
We have a saying in New Hampshire "Live Free or Die." Gutless wonders, IMO, those "good" Germans. The Hell with them.
 
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Pepper said:
Sorry, @Old Salt as I like you too, but I remain unimpressed. No sympathy for the WWII German people, only their victims and no sob story about how good people got caught up will ever change my mind. Thrilled when I saw how lousy the East Germans lived, just tickled pink. If I had a choice between Germany & Japan getting nuked (not that I wanted it for anyone)I would not have chosen Germany to have been the ones to escape.

The stench of crematoriums will never dissipate.

"To say no to fervent Nazis meant not only that you could lose your life but also that of your family."
We have a saying in New Hampshire "Live Free or Die." Gutless wonders, IMO, those "good" Germans. The Hell with them.
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For the first time in a long time I am truly horrified! And sad, and upset! End of discussion for me! :cry:
 
my father was born in 1910. He joined the service when he was 17 . He rejoined for WW2 and was a chief warrent officer. Served as a marine in the pacific. He said he only moved up in rank as others died. One of my uncles died at iwo jima. One uncle was a major and served in both WW2 and Korea. All my uncles served in some branch. Fiesty bunch of patriots. My father did not speak of the horror much to me….but was was very liberal in his thinking as an older man. So was my uncle who was the major. And in fact all my uncles were. I think war made them develop a broader view of humanity.
 
jimintoronto said:
I guess you have forgotten about the THOUSANDS of Americans who were members of the American Nazi Party in the 1930's ? Link. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/nazis-in-america.html Another American who does not know the history of her own country. One of the leading members of that American Nazi Party was named Charles Lindberg, perhaps you have heard of him ? JImB.
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No comment. I am letting the article speak for itself:

https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/th...e-nazis-during-the-second-world-war-1.6635225
 
My dead beat bio dad was born in 1920. I remember him in his military uniform and going to Fort Ord (Monterey Bay California) as a very young child. I thought I remembered hearing he was a prisoner of war of the Japanese. I was born with a more unusual last name and thought his first name was the same as my oldest brother. So I Googled his name. He came up on every prisoner of war site that I looked at. He was no hero to me.
 
My late mother's long-term gentleman friend had been a career U.S. Air Force pilot during WWII. He had some great stories to tell.

He was shot down and rescued by Greek partisans, who already had an English pilot and a French pilot who flew for the English in their hands. The Frenchman had a camera, but no film, and our guy had two rolls of undeveloped film, but no camera. They agreed on the trade of one roll of film for the use of the camera for a while, so he had some wonderful photos of his long adventure as they were smuggled across Greece and handed off to other resistance groups. He had remade his leather flying pants into a cape of sorts to stay warm and he still had that cape to show.

Eventually, he made it to the coast and was sent by boat to Africa where he met up with English troops and then was repatriated with his command.

He was an accomplished speaker and, after he retired from the Air Force, was in great demand to talk about his experiences to various groups for the rest of his life.
 
@Pepper Shonda, I am deeply sorry that I touched such a sensitive nerve. I will never understand the horrors of being an inmate in those camps, but understand that you are bitter and hate everything German! Again, I apologize! We should have peace at our age and I inadvertently disturbed that greatly! I still like you, if you can believe that!
 
Dad enlisted in the Navy during WW2 & served on a destroyer in the the Pacific. He spoke very little about his time in the Navy & most of what I know I found out was by reading a few letters while cleaning out the house. Mom always told us kids not to ask, but now I wish I wouldn't have listened.

All of his brothers served either in the Navy or Army during the war. Mom's only brother was in the army during the war & ended up in the occupational force right after Japan's surrendered. Mom worked in one of the local factories after the men left.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Both my parents were in the RAF. They both drove motorcycles and my mom was assistant air traffic controller. I forget what my dad did. That’s where my parents met. It was really sweet the way they’d explain how they met. They truly shared a romance through a tragic part of history and something I really admired about them.

Note: looking at the dates of WW2, there’s no way my parents served in that. They were far too young but they definitely were both in the RAF in England.
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Thanks for reminding me. Mom also rode motorcycles for some British service. (she's no longer here so I can't say which one).
Love you mom.


mom.jpg
 
Pepper said:
How dare you. You have no idea what I know and don't but I will tell you, you insufferable person, that...........Nevermind, you have no idea. You're bragging to the wrong person. Don't think for an instant that you............Nevermind, once again, you have no idea.

eta
Shame on you.
Shonda
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Faced with facts, you have no rebuttal. Bye now.
 
jimintoronto said:
Faced with facts, you have no rebuttal. Bye now.
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I didn't deny facts! It's your deliberately insulting assumption I did not know them that I take umbrage to! How can you presume to know what I do or don't know? I did know your facts, and one of them is that you are insufferable!
insufferable=="having or showing unbearable arrogance or conceit." If the shoe fits, my Canadian friend!
 
Jamala said:
They didn't light up ovens though... did they?
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Exactly what I was thinking. Also, since America was [again] mentioned by a "certain" poster, I was wondering why the Canadian Nazi Party under W.J.Beattie was totally shoved under the rug and not mentioned. Fair is fair, no? Oh well, couldn't expect much more, I guess. Good morning @Jamala and all... hope you're having a good Monday!
 
CallMeKate said:
Exactly what I was thinking. Also, since America was [again] mentioned by a "certain" poster, I was wondering why the Canadian Nazi Party under W.J.Beattie was totally shoved under the rug and not mentioned. Fair is fair, no? Oh well, couldn't expect much more, I guess. Good morning @Jamala and all... hope you're having a good Monday!
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WJ Beattie was born in 1941. So he was a baby during WW2. He DID found the Canadian Nazi Party in the 1960's in Toronto.

Here is a link to an article about him and his political follies.

Link.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_John_Beattie#:~:text=Beattie%20later%20found%20himself%20in%20legal,Jewish%20Congress%20to%20infiltrate%20Beattie%27s%20movement.&text=Beattie%20later%20found%20himself,to%20infiltrate%20Beattie%27s%20movement.&text=found%20himself%20in%20legal,Jewish%20Congress%20to%20infiltrate

I mentioned the American support for Nazi political motives in Europe , because it was TRUE. Anyone who wants to research this American movement can find a lot of newspaper, movie news reels and magazine articles from the mid to late 1930's, about this subject. Link The German American Bund. Camp Seigfreid in New Jersey. Camp Siegfried - Wikipedia.

Note the Swastika and the US flag being carried side by side in the photos. Facts. JImB.
 
jimintoronto said:
Here is a link to an article about him and his political follies.
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Thanks for sharing, Jim. I was, however, referring to your own statement
"Nazis were right at home in the USA, both before and after WW2 took place."

I already knew about Beattie. The "and after" is your own quote so it needs to be pointed out that they were in Canada as well. :rolleyes:

I am editing/deleting the rest of what I had to say because flogging a dead horse is exhausting.
 
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CallMeKate said:
Exactly what I was thinking. Also, since America was [again] mentioned by a "certain" poster, I was wondering why the Canadian Nazi Party under W.J.Beattie was totally shoved under the rug and not mentioned. Fair is fair, no? Oh well, couldn't expect much more, I guess. Good morning @Jamala and all... hope you're having a good Monday!
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Yes thank you Kate… had a really good day. Lots of filing done and things put away in my office. It looks a picture, until I mess it up again :LOL:
 
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