World War I (1) stories

[Simon]

War stories

Tell stories that maybe your parents / grandmas / or someone told you.

Here is mine about my great grandpa:

My great grandpa fought for Austria - Hungary (Country I'm from Slovenia was one province of Austria - Hungary)
He fought in Isonzo Front, when suddenly Italians killed them all. And my great grandpa fell asleep in dead bodies, enemy though he was dead so they left him alone. When he woke up he realised from like 40 people only 2 survived.

When he woke up, I can't imagine how scared he was.

 

[volcol]

I have family who fought for both sides on the Western front, though we know very little about the German side.

My great great Granddad was an artilleryman, he was involved in getting artillery to the front and worked with the horses that carried the gun carriages. In 1917, the troop he was with came under heavy artillery fire, and a shell went off next to him. The horse was torn into pieces but shielded him enough (he lost his foot) - the barrage kicked up a lot of dirt etc leaving him almost buried alive. He spent 4 days in that condition - finally being rescued when some soldiers heading to the front noticed his arm moving.

He survived the war and lived to the ripe old age on 98 - I met him once (I was very young) He had a few brothers in the war too, but out of 5 of them only 2 came home. I'll share more stories at a later date

 

[Pjosip]

Well since this is the first thread of the type I saw can we rename it to World War Stories?
I do't have a WW1 btut kindof WW2 story.

My grandmothers gradma was livingin a village here in Croatia, se hadsome bsic farm supplies and a cow.
One day the Rusias cameto liberate the area, and they were going door to door collecting supplies (the supplies werent volontary, the russians came in and just took supplies like flour and things), as fter they took her Grandmas supplies they went nextdoor, meanwhile she snuk up and stole the supplies back, the russians noticed that, shot her and took the cow.

Sesurvived the shooting and evacuaed the area, late on one of nabhors phoned saying the cow ran away and returned bak home.
Also thre isone fuking buhat fuc upmywritšdiohAWdšIIhwrhAW fi

 

[Pjosip]

Okay, writing this very pissed off, there is a ****ing glitch with the forum software when I use quick replying, the spinning wheel keeps spinning and constantly and persistantly ****s up everything I write...
Image:

Nope, for some ****ing reasoncan't ebed image eathr so click the ducking link...

Nope, doesen't even let me inert the lin, sometimes I wanna kil Naga for **** like thi...

 

[Maniche]

You should right-click on the image, choose "Copy image address" and use the [imgt*]LinkToYourImageHere[/imgt*] (without the *) to get images going, [MENTION=1505]Pjosip[/MENTION]

 

[Pjosip]

I tried copy pasting just the link, didn't work.
Tried ebeddng, didn't work.
Nthing orked, to frustated at th moment to et it btherme anymore.
Aso stll got teug goings my textis fuke up.

 

[Roughbeak]

... Okay


I think I mentioned this before, but my Grandpa was a Lee tank driver during WW2. Also he collected a Luger from a German and it is still in our family's hands.

 

[litchu]

My granddad ( turned 81 last week, do the math yourself ) was collecting coals by the railway and got shot at by a german plane. Luckely he didn't get hit

 

[Pvt_Larry]

Oh! Wouldn't want to miss this!

Mine is a large and extended family, one which has proudly fought on both sides of every American war since the War of Independence (with the exception of our more recent fiascoes in Asia and the Middle East).

The World Wars are no exception;

My great-grandfather, Clarence, sailed to France in 1917 with the US Marine Corps, though I don't know whether he fought in any battles once there.

On the German side, I'm told, were a great many German relatives of mine, whose names I do not know.

When the next World War rolled around, the situation was little different, my (other) great-grandfather, Gottfried, was conscripted by the Germans in 1940, and drove trucks for the Luftwaffe. He was sent to the Eastern Front and was captured by the Red Army in Poland some time in 1944. He spent the next nine years in a Soviet prison camp, and wasn't returned to Germany until 1951. While he was away, his business (he ran an inn in Hamburg) was looted by Wehrmacht troops on their way to France, and then damaged by allied bombs later. His nephew, Manfred, wanted to be a fighter pilot, but the war ended before he was old enough, lucky for him. Later on he flew with the US air force in Vietnam.

On the American side of things, a number of my family members served. My great-grandfather, the WWI veteran, volunteered again (he must have been relatively fit) and was an Army officer, in charge of logistics.

Two of my great-uncles, brothers, were to young to join the military, but they lied about their ages to enlist anyway. One of them was a submarine crewman who served in the Pacific, the other was a B-17 tail gunner, who was killed over Germany.

Then, after the war war over, my grandfather was drafted in 1951. Luckily, he wasn't sent to Korea, but rather to West Germany. While he was there, he met my grandmother and her father, recently repatriated from Russia, living in Hamburg. When his tour was up, they all returned to the United States, and so here I am.

 

[litchu]

Thats quite a story Larry!

I might have some more to add to this topic when I get home. My granddad wrote letters to his family during the cold winter of 1944-45 in The Netherlands. He talks about what happens during his trip across the country looking for a place to stay and eat.

Part of the story goes about a time he was staying with a family living close to a railway ( about 100 meters ) which was targeted by allied bombers.

I'll try and sum up some of the stories he wrote next week.

 

[volcol]

Regarding one of my great great granddads brothers.

One was an infantryman, and joined up in 1916. His first real engagement was the Somme. At the Somme he took a bullet to the hand which almost totally removed his right index finger, and half removing the middle finger. He made it back to the allied lines, and was sent to a field hospital, and later home for further recovery. Having fully recovered he was then sent BACK to the front-lines in mid 1917. He was quite a burly chap apparently, so while he was unable to use a rifle - they used him in trench raiding parties. After 2 months he was killed, and never found.

The 'middle' brother was caught up in artillery in 1915 and killed - he was found but what they found wasn't necessarily salvageable ( according to my granddad - he had 3 limbs missing and the majority of his jaw torn out) He died on the field.

I'll try find out about the third brother who died, and the other brother who came home.

Such a sad sad war, and the worst of it, these were just a few people in a community that lost a ridiculous number during the war.