Interesting family storys from the war

[tailor marc]

I thought this maybe a good thread idea seeing as now unfortunatly many of out family members are passing due to ww2 being so long ago. This thread is not only ww2 but any war. If you have a family story wether great or tragic please post it.

I will start with a scetchy but true story of Sabastian Russo ( My Pop)
He lived in a village in Sicily. Apparently Germans came into the village and took everyones cows, donkys, goats etc.
They took my pops prize donkey and he would have none of that. He found where the Germans kept all the animals and told others from the village that he was going to go get it back. Everyone told him not to and it wasnt worth dying for. He packed enough food and warm clothes and set off for the German camp. I have no idea and all my family down know how he did it but a week later he came walking back into the village with his donkey. he was the village hero and everyone talked about this long after the Germans left and the war finished. I do know he was taken as a POW and remember him talking about marching in the snow through Siberia but cant remember any more on that.
Loved the Donkey story and would love to know how he got it back. Maybe he just asked, maybe bribed or maybe snuck in stealth, we will never know.
Post your storys below...

[Panzersaurus]

My great uncle Cyril was from Nova Scotia. Before the war he was a building contractor. He was also in a local shooting team, and occasionally was invited over to England to compete. When the war began he enlisted in the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. He quickly rose through the ranks and was a major by 1944. He was on Juno beach on D-day and fought all the way through Normandy to Caen. In Caen he was hit by a piece of shrapnel in the arm and severely injured. One of his men came to help him. Cyril pulled out a knife and told the man to cut his arm off, and he did! He was sent back to England, where a further part of his arm was cut off.
You would think his life would be ruined by this, but it wasn't. He managed to continue building houses with one arm. He also learned to shoot again, but with a tripod. He was determined to do whatever he could do with two arms with just one. In 1957 he became a member of parliament and would stay I. Office until 1967. He was apparently always full of life. My dad would retell some of the stories Cyril would tell him. One I particularly remember is some story about a guy who goes to the hospital and gets hooked up to all sorts of machines so he can't move. He really needs to go to the washroom, and because he can't go anywhere, we goes in His bed. But there is some sort of plastic sheet over the bed, so he is then stuck lying in his own pee. I don't know why I find that funny, but I do.
Back on topic, he died in 1974 at the young age of 58. I hope you enjoyed my contribution for the day.

[jonobo]

I only have one story as my uncles don't talk about their experiences during the Vietnam war (unless they start drinking together, they all were South Vietnamese infantry.) At the end of the war when the US pulled out all the troops and the commies started capturing people as POWs, my uncle, Anh Huynh (a Major at the time) was captured along with his unit/other soldiers to be put into a POW camp Iin which he and the others would be held captive for almost 15 years
He never mentioned anything but I wouldn't blame him as to why he never did. Though he did tell his wife a story that she retold after he passed. One day, one of the prisoners found a snake out in the yard and were going to smuggle it into the cells and share with everyone because they were rarely fed rice and water. So my uncle quickly dispatched the snake and tied it around his waist. My Aunt said he felt it wriggling and he was trying not to laugh as it was very ticklish. When they got to the cell, I was amazed that they still had a hierarchy because everyone agreed that he had first dibs because he was the highest rank there. It was split up by bones, head, sections and organs and I believe she said they made a broth out of the bones. He passed away a couple years ago from throat cancer and I feel as if I never got to know him that well.

[jonobo]

My mother washed US soldiers uniforms for military payment certificates, often the person would also forget some cash in their pocket which she would swipe up too! And my Grandmother grew and sold marijuana to GIs as well!!

[KriegMann]

My grandfather was in the 3rd Marine Division and he was stationed in Japan at the tail end of the Korean War. While he was there the Japanese people, still in bad shape from WW2, would steal the dogs from where he was stationed and would eat them.

[maximus71]

When my father told stories about his time in Korea it was never pretty, he was a fresh 18 yr old and in the US Army 7th Division 32nd Regiment, he was surrounded by charging masses of chinese communists in the Chosin Resovoir early December 1950, he fought along side Col. Don Faith and was one of the few to break out through the enemy, he told of being in a foxhole when a morter shell went off above his head killing the guy next to him but only breaking his eardrum, also how he would pull pins on multiple grenades and hold them between his legs and under his arm for fast multiple use against the charging commies as he said, it was well below zero temps and they would have to urinate on thier rifles to keep them from freezing up, he also carried a buddy to safety who had his legs shot up and reunited with him 40 years later, his last days in Korea were spent crawling along a frozen lake badly frostbit when rescued by Marines. These were only some of the stories, the local paper featured an article on him and also "Life" magazine Feb 51 while in recovery. He received his purple heart but never his bronze star because most of his superiors were killed in battle, he died from cancer a few years ago and I regret not learning or believing more untill after his passing. Here are some of his things I keep on display.
IMAG1179.jpgIMAG1180.jpg

[Panzer trooper]

My granfather and and great granfather witnessed the dog fight over southampton during the battle of Britain in which flight leftenannt james nicholson received the Victoria cross during the dog fight mr nicholson and his wing man where both shot down but as mr nicholson was going down in flames and on fire himself he shot one of the ME110s down my great granfather and granfather we're the first to get to him as he came down my great granfather thought he was german and shot him in the bottom!! As if he wasn't in enough pain already my grandad always tells me that story when I see him bless him!

[Bill T]

he died from cancer a few years ago and I regret not learning or believing more untill after his passing.

Unfortunately this happens all too frequently. Many of us were too young, not as knowledgeable on the subject, or never got the chance to ask our family members before it was too late!

[kirederf7]

Well my great great grandfather who was a WWI veteran, disarmed a German bomb underneath a bridge near his house. The bomb would have probably taken the house with it if he hadn't. My grandmother always talks about him and she even remembers some of the stories he told her ages ago about the great war.

[big ned]

My granfather and and great granfather witnessed the dog fight over southampton during the battle of Britain in which flight leftenannt james nicholson received the Victoria cross during the dog fight mr nicholson and his wing man where both shot down but as mr nicholson was going down in flames and on fire himself he shot one of the ME110s down my great granfather and granfather we're the first to get to him as he came down my great granfather thought he was german and shot him in the bottom!! As if he wasn't in enough pain already my grandad always tells me that story when I see him bless him!

Pilot Officer M.A. King who was Nicolson's wingman was not so lucky. His parachute collapsed close to the ground due to what is thought to have been rifle fire from Royal Artillery troops and a section of the LDV.

Quote:

"On opening his parachute, Nicolson was appalled to find himself under fire from friendly forces on the ground. British Army and Home Guard troops mistook Nicolson and his wingman for German paratroopers, and both were shot as they descended. Pilot Officer M.A. King was killed. Wounded by buckshot, Nicolson was unable to release his chute harness because his hands were badly burned."

An unfortunate incident that can be attributed to the fog of war.